Appointments and More Appointments

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One of the unfortunate things about cerebral palsy (CP) are the many co-occurring health issues that go along with it. Because of this, those with CP have more doctors, specialists, and other kinds of providers they see on a regular basis. While the CP itself mainly affects the muscles, other areas of the body are affected as well, which results in more medical challenges.  For instance, besides CP, some of other Faith’s health issues include: ·          Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and other digestive issues ·          Scoliosis ·          Bowel and bladder incontinence ·          General anxiety Because of these co-occurring conditions, we have more appointments than the average person. At times, it can all be a bit overwhelming. Faith enjoying a nice fall day On September 23 rd , we ended up in the E...
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This Gift

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This gift given to me
Seven years ago...

Not given swaddled in pink
and laid close by my side.
Instead placed in a see-through box
helping to breathe breaths of life.

A single touch lasting only seconds
not to be seen for several hours.
Seven days later,
finally in my arms to hold.

This gift given to me
so undeservedly...

Did God really know what He was doing
Giving me this treasure for which to care?

Thankful. Blessed.
These words do not even begin to express
what I feel, what I know, what I have.

Tough times, yes
Challenges, of course.
But still joy
And love...so much love.

Seven years ago
This gift, given to me...

My heart, my soul
forever changed.

Happy Birthday, Faith! You are loved!


Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 25, 2010 at 9:46 AM

    Happy Birthday Faith....I remember that day like it was yesterday when David and Jean came down to tell me. She surely is a gift from God.

    Susan Finlay
    Mississauga, ON

    ReplyDelete
  2. SandyOctober 25, 2010 at 11:05 AM

    Just happened upon your blog through "The Mom Blogs". I live in North Dakota as well (West Fargo). Your daughter is beautiful--happy 7th Birthday to her! I enjoyed stopping by & reading. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Apraxia MomOctober 25, 2010 at 1:11 PM

    Happy Birthday, Faith!

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  4. ColleenOctober 25, 2010 at 7:05 PM

    Happy Birthday to your special girl!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousOctober 25, 2010 at 10:01 PM

    Such a beautiful poem

    ReplyDelete
  6. ColeyOctober 29, 2010 at 6:37 AM

    What a sweet poem. My son, Noah, also has an Oct 25th bday. :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Cari JeanOctober 29, 2010 at 1:53 PM

    Thank you so much for all of the birthday wishes! Faith really did have a great day!

    ReplyDelete

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Appointments and More Appointments

-
Image
One of the unfortunate things about cerebral palsy (CP) are the many co-occurring health issues that go along with it. Because of this, those with CP have more doctors, specialists, and other kinds of providers they see on a regular basis. While the CP itself mainly affects the muscles, other areas of the body are affected as well, which results in more medical challenges.  For instance, besides CP, some of other Faith’s health issues include: ·          Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and other digestive issues ·          Scoliosis ·          Bowel and bladder incontinence ·          General anxiety Because of these co-occurring conditions, we have more appointments than the average person. At times, it can all be a bit overwhelming. Faith enjoying a nice fall day On September 23 rd , we ended up in the E...
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Last Wednesday I had my yearly doctor exam and when she said I should get my tetanus shot updated, I didn't think twice about it. The nurse said my arm would be sore for a couple of days, gave me a handout and stuck the needle in my arm.  The next day my arm was sore and although I found it a little harder to pick up and carry Faith, I was glad the pain wasn't going to last long. Boy was I wrong! But not only was my arm sore, my whole body was. I felt achy and extremely tired. According to a medical site on the Internet, these were mild side effects of the Tetanus shot. If these were only mild side effects, I would really hate to have them at a moderate or severe level. My arm is still red and sore on day 2 after my tetanus shot. On Friday, two days after getting the shot I felt so tired that I took a four-hour nap after getting Faith off to school. Then on Saturday I took a three-hour nap up until 7 o'clock, but still felt tired and was able to go back to sleep around 10. ...
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September is  NICU Awareness Month . For those who don't know, NICU is an acronym for Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. According to  World Metrics  50,000 premature babies in the United States receive care each year in the NICU.  The average NICU stay for a preemie is 25 days. Honestly, that number surprises me, as I thought it would be much higher than that. Along with preemies, full-term babies born with certain health issues, such as respiratory distress, jaundice, and other kinds of infections receive care in the NICU.  Tiny Faith in her isolette at Mayo  But for Faith, whose untimely birth consisted of an emergency C-section 11 weeks early, it took 73 days before she was discharged. Those 73 days were a major emotional rollercoaster! And for many reasons, one of which was being nearly 600 miles from home as Faith was born at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. (You can read what led up to that on my post,  October 4, 2003: A Day I'll Ne...
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