yes, our battle this week....Monsters in the toaster oven
I have just noticed that my little girl has not walked through the kitchen in several days now. She breifly mentioned something over the weekend about not wanting to go into the kitchen and i brushed it off.
Today i realized that she actually has been refusing to walk into the kitchen for any reason.
Of course being the over-bearing mother that i am.....i pushed the issue.
I tried wagering with her, begging her, and even tried tricking her. NOPE she was not going to do it. So i forced her to (bad mommy) she even cried a little. Now i know what you must be thinking "harsh,mean, how could she"
OK, yeah, i felt bad doing it! especially when i could see the fear in her face, when she admited to me what she was afraid of.
There are monsters in the toaster oven, mommy.
I laughed, and that didnt help. I could see that she lost trust in me for that brief second. How could i not believe her? afterall, she was honestly afraid.
Ok guys, i watch obsessed. For the most part, i am one bad experience away from having my own severe OCD problem.
its called EXPOSURE THERAPY. I took her by the hand, walked her slowly into the kitchen, opened the toaster oven, took everything out of it and even stuck my head into it. (it is a pretty large oven) Then i had her look inside. INSTANTLY i could see that she was cured. We then talked about it and i knew, she was no longer scared.
Someone recently told me the best thing that i could do is talk to my kids as if they were adults. Not to sugar coat anything, or try to protect them by not telling the truth about something. With discretion, and within reason i have been, and its working. (im not going to ruin santa or the easter bunny and tooth fairy anytime soon)
till next time............
love your babies, like you imagined you would..... before you knew sleepless nights and temper tantrums.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
PFAPA
We finally have a reason for all of brothers terrible fevers. Glad to have ssomething to refer to....and,well i guess it could be worse.
Periodic fever, Aphthous-stomatitis, Pharyngitis, Adenitis (PFAPA) Syndrome
This syndrome includes recurrent episodes of fever with aphthous-stomatitis (mouth sores), pharyngitis (sore throat with redness and sometimes a throat that has a white covering – exudate - like that seen in a throat with streptococcal infection.
PFAPA affects children in early childhood, usually starting at age two to four years. Episodes usually decrease in frequency and resolve after the age of 10 years. This disease was recognized for the first time in 1987 and was called Marshall’s.
How common is it?
The frequency of PFAPA is not known, but the disease appears to be more common than generally appreciated.
What causes PFAPA?
The answer to this question is not yet known. No gene defect has yet to be found in PFAPA, although in some cases more than one family member has the disease. No infectious cause has been found in PFAPA, thus it is not a contagious disease. It is clear that the inflammatory process is activated during episodes but it is not clear why it is triggered.
What are the main symptoms?
The main symptoms are episodic fevers, accompanied by a sore throat, mouth ulcers, or enlarged cervical lymph nodes (glands in the neck, an important part of the immune system).
The episodes of fever start abruptly and last for three to seven days.
During episodes, the child looks very ill and complains about at least one of the three symptoms mentioned above.
The episodes of fever recur every few weeks and often families know the exact day when an attack will start. On the day the fever starts the child will feel a little ill before the attack and the family knows an attack is about to start.
How is PFAPA diagnosed?
There are no laboratory tests, or imaging procedures, specific for diagnosing PFAPA. The disease will be diagnosed based on the results of a physical examination and other symptoms. Inflammatory blood tests like the white blood cell count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and the C-reactive protein are increased during attacks. Before the diagnosis is confirmed, it is important to exclude all other diseases that may present with similar symptoms (especially a streptococcal throat). The dramatic response to treatment (see below) also helps diagnose PFAPA.
How is PFAPA treated?
There is no specific treatment to cure PFAPA. The aim of treatment is to control symptoms during the episodes of fever, to shorten the duration of episodes, and in some children to prevent attacks from occurring.
In most children, the disease will resolve by itself without treatment, usually after the age of 10 years.
The fever does not usually respond well to Tylenol or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
A single dose of steroids (usually prednisone), given when symptoms first appear, has been shown to shorten an episode and sometimes even end the episode. However, the interval between episodes may also be shortened with this treatment, and the next episode may occur earlier than expected.
In some patients using cimetidine (a medicine that is used to treat stomach ulcers) may prevents attacks from occurring. In patients with very frequent attacks, a tonsillectomy (removing the tonsils by surgery) may be considered.
What is the outcome and course of PFAPA?
The disease may last for several years. Over time, the intervals between the episodes will increase and usually after the age of 10 years resolve by itself. Children with PFAPA continue to grow and develop normally.
like i said, it could be worse....i know many other families with more things on their plates than dealing with PFAPA We will get through this.
Periodic fever, Aphthous-stomatitis, Pharyngitis, Adenitis (PFAPA) Syndrome
This syndrome includes recurrent episodes of fever with aphthous-stomatitis (mouth sores), pharyngitis (sore throat with redness and sometimes a throat that has a white covering – exudate - like that seen in a throat with streptococcal infection.
PFAPA affects children in early childhood, usually starting at age two to four years. Episodes usually decrease in frequency and resolve after the age of 10 years. This disease was recognized for the first time in 1987 and was called Marshall’s.
How common is it?
The frequency of PFAPA is not known, but the disease appears to be more common than generally appreciated.
What causes PFAPA?
The answer to this question is not yet known. No gene defect has yet to be found in PFAPA, although in some cases more than one family member has the disease. No infectious cause has been found in PFAPA, thus it is not a contagious disease. It is clear that the inflammatory process is activated during episodes but it is not clear why it is triggered.
What are the main symptoms?
The main symptoms are episodic fevers, accompanied by a sore throat, mouth ulcers, or enlarged cervical lymph nodes (glands in the neck, an important part of the immune system).
The episodes of fever start abruptly and last for three to seven days.
During episodes, the child looks very ill and complains about at least one of the three symptoms mentioned above.
The episodes of fever recur every few weeks and often families know the exact day when an attack will start. On the day the fever starts the child will feel a little ill before the attack and the family knows an attack is about to start.
How is PFAPA diagnosed?
There are no laboratory tests, or imaging procedures, specific for diagnosing PFAPA. The disease will be diagnosed based on the results of a physical examination and other symptoms. Inflammatory blood tests like the white blood cell count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and the C-reactive protein are increased during attacks. Before the diagnosis is confirmed, it is important to exclude all other diseases that may present with similar symptoms (especially a streptococcal throat). The dramatic response to treatment (see below) also helps diagnose PFAPA.
How is PFAPA treated?
There is no specific treatment to cure PFAPA. The aim of treatment is to control symptoms during the episodes of fever, to shorten the duration of episodes, and in some children to prevent attacks from occurring.
In most children, the disease will resolve by itself without treatment, usually after the age of 10 years.
The fever does not usually respond well to Tylenol or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
A single dose of steroids (usually prednisone), given when symptoms first appear, has been shown to shorten an episode and sometimes even end the episode. However, the interval between episodes may also be shortened with this treatment, and the next episode may occur earlier than expected.
In some patients using cimetidine (a medicine that is used to treat stomach ulcers) may prevents attacks from occurring. In patients with very frequent attacks, a tonsillectomy (removing the tonsils by surgery) may be considered.
What is the outcome and course of PFAPA?
The disease may last for several years. Over time, the intervals between the episodes will increase and usually after the age of 10 years resolve by itself. Children with PFAPA continue to grow and develop normally.
like i said, it could be worse....i know many other families with more things on their plates than dealing with PFAPA We will get through this.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Letting go.........even just a little.
Had great success at sister's t-ball game this saturday. Whew, she really likes it, we had made a promise to her that if she played the whole game, we would take her out for frozen yogurt. I would like to believe that she is the child i can bribe with anything, but unfortunately that is not at all it.
We arrive to the game, early as usual, and my princess prepares to warm up.
That, in itself, needed much convincing,(oh great, this is going to be another bad game) but she got out there and warmed up with the rest of the team.
Team mom tells me that they are going to have to kick me out of the dugout (obviously, to keep sister focused on the game and not me) I reply with "i know, I think it is what she needs"
What?
What am I thinking? And Who is she to kick me out of the dugout? I'm in there helping! Motivating the girls, making sure that they are in their proper lineup, and ready for their at bat.....and you are kicking me out?
As most of you moms are reading and thinking........you are right! And so was she! It worked, and sister played the entire game, with only two distractions. Those of which team mom handled flawlessly! Thank god for her......sister loves playing, and commits to every game since.
We probably would have quit it weren't for our team mom. Looks like I need to study harder for this type of exam.....I'd say I earned myself a D- on this one. Better luck next time mom.
We arrive to the game, early as usual, and my princess prepares to warm up.
That, in itself, needed much convincing,(oh great, this is going to be another bad game) but she got out there and warmed up with the rest of the team.
Team mom tells me that they are going to have to kick me out of the dugout (obviously, to keep sister focused on the game and not me) I reply with "i know, I think it is what she needs"
What?
What am I thinking? And Who is she to kick me out of the dugout? I'm in there helping! Motivating the girls, making sure that they are in their proper lineup, and ready for their at bat.....and you are kicking me out?
As most of you moms are reading and thinking........you are right! And so was she! It worked, and sister played the entire game, with only two distractions. Those of which team mom handled flawlessly! Thank god for her......sister loves playing, and commits to every game since.
We probably would have quit it weren't for our team mom. Looks like I need to study harder for this type of exam.....I'd say I earned myself a D- on this one. Better luck next time mom.
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