Kyler 's Adventure Continues

Kyler went back in the hospital last night. After arriving home, he was not able to keep his dinner down and Christy took him back to UVRMC. He can have visitors now, so drop by to see him if you are in the area. Call Christy or I for details (room # or phone #).

Kyler's Grand Adventure

I am sitting in Kyler's freezing cold hospital room as the first of the series of doctors has come in to check on him. The first doctor that came in is the pediatric resident. The next one that we are expecting is his pediatrician; the next one is the communicable disease specialist, and then maybe his neuropsychiatrist. This all started last week when Kyler started running a fever and was queasy. We kept him home from school on Monday and Christy took him to the doctor to find out if this was a reaction to some new medications that he was on. The doctor assured her that it was not a reaction and that she should take him to his pediatrician because it was probably a virus. The pediatrician agreed that it was a virus, had some blood drawn and sent him home with the instructions that if it got worse to bring him back in. Christy and I debated on Friday morning whether to bring him back in or not because he had not got worse, but he really was not any better. Christy insisted that she take him in, and the doctor admitted him to the hospital with the suspicion that he might have measles due to a rash that had taken over most of his upper body and his eyes. I think the thing that tipped her off to the depth of the sickness was the fact that Kyler has not eaten anything in a week. Anyone that knows Kyler knows that it is hard to get him full, and he usually eats non-stop when he is home. His pediatrician said that it would be very unusual and rare for this to be measles since he has been immunized against it, but because he was so sick, it would be better to have him in the hospital. He was placed in isolation when he was admitted to the pediatric ward in the UVRMC. Christy and I were given very fashionable pink wristbands that have a code on them that give us access to the pediatric area. I spent the night on Friday on the hide-a-very-uncomfortable-cot, and Christy slept over on Saturday night. The results of the definitive measles test have not been returned yet, but all of the doctors concur that what he has is the result on a drug reaction and was life-threatening if it would have gone un-diagnosed any longer. Credit Christy for being persistent and saving his life. He is going in for an MRI an a few minutes and he should be able to go home today.

I have now been typing long enough that doctor #2 has come in, but he came out of order. The communicable disease specialist has now released him to go home, but says that he will be out of school for the at least the rest of the week, and he needs to get his energy back.
On another note, I did not get the job in St. George that I had interviewed for. The person that was hired was promoted in the St. George office, so now her position is open. This is what I had anticipated would happen, and if they decide to fill her vacated supervisor position (they may not due to budget restrictions), I will apply for that job. I have a much better shot at that one than I had at the one I previously interviewed for.

Our family wants to thank all of those that offered help, thoughts and prayers to us during this difficult time. Kyler enjoyed the card and balloons that he got from the ward and the family enjoyed the lasagna that was brought over on Saturday and not having to pay for meals at the hospital. Thanks for thinking of us.

A New Day

This morning, I with probably most of the rest of the world, watched as a new President was inaugurated. As I watched this happening, my emotions overflowed. Believe me, I have not always been on the "Obama Bandwagon". Dan spent many months trying to convince me of the qualities that he carries. Dan picked him as the next president way before the election even started.

I have had a very hard time getting past some of the moral issues that President Clinton brought in to the spotlight. I was angry when Mitt Romney was run out because of his religion, but was I doing the same by judging the others? This question gave me a lot to think about. I hadn't thought about the fact that I was outwardly doing that. I am not one who likes to judge. I do still believe that Mitt Romney would be someone who has the knowledge of how to pull us out of the financial horror that our country is in, but I have paid very close attention to President Obama for the last few months and I truly do feel that he is the man who is supposed to be our leader. The pictures I saw today of all of the people at the inauguration where just amazing. I was brought to tears(I seem to get taken there a lot lately), there were people on the roofs of building surrounding the Capitol, people for as far as the eye could see, and they were of every race, religion, and background. I listened to the reports afterward and there were no reports of violence. I HAVE NOT FELT THIS MUCH PEACE AND UNITY AS A COUNTRY SINCE SEPTEMBER 11th 2001 ! I remember that day very well. It was unnerving and scary for some time, but the unity that followed was amazing. I truly believe that unity is the key for prosperity in this country. I am aware, as I am sure our president is aware that we have our work cut out for us, but I believe him to be a man of his word.

I have a small place in my heart for the outgoing president. While I think he made some pretty big mistakes, I do believe that he did the best he could and has been judged harshly in some cases; however, the buck did stop at him and he should take responsibility for them. I do wish him and his family good things in their lives.

So now "We the People" have out work cut out for us. We have to be proactive in helping to make our country reach the place we all hope for. My hope is much the same as that of President Obama. This being that we should unite and stop the separation and the big politics between Republicans and Democrats. I have blogged about this in the past. The one titled Why Can't We Be More Like Cats and Dog's?. This has been a huge thing for me. I don't claim either party, but my loyalty lies with whom I feel is the better person.

I was pleased to see the first President Bush and Barbara wearing purple scarves that they wore today, to tell the world that there is no red or blue, but purple. I think that was classy.

I am hopeful today that this change is bringing a new beginning and that we are embarking on times of prosperity and goodness. It will no doubt take time, but if we all work together good things will happen.

Happy Inauguration Day !

~Christy

PS- I couldn't get my pics aligned the way I wanted, so just use your imagination :-)

Hey

Well, I just wanted to say that I am feeling better today. Not that I won't be back in that state again, but for today I am dealing a little better. I think much of the mood before was due to a lack of sleep, a pretty bad headache, and just simply too much to deal with in one day. While I am still feeling inadequate in some things and wishing I could get some answers, I am seeing a little more clearly tonight.

Just wanted to let you all know. and you know who you are, that I really appreciate the care and concern I have been shown in the past few days especially. Thanks Heidi's (there are more than one of you) for the nice words.

~Christy

Someone Hold Me Up PLEASE!!

Here I am again, 1 AM and not sleeping. So tired that I am having a hard time sitting up straight, yet can't seem to actually sleep. It has been one of THOSE days. It started out at 6 AM. We all had dentist appointments at 6:40. In theory this is a very good way to get all of us taken care of and on our way to whatever we need to be doing without interruption. The problem is that getting everyone up and out the door before 6:30 AM is no easy task. Upon finishing our visit with the dentist, we found out that Kyler could not have braces from that office, that he had to see a specialist. Apparently his jaw is not right and they can't fix it. Since we had already paid for all of his braces, now the question is how we are going to recover the $$ and if we will have enough to take care of them at another place. UGH ! I won't mention how many cavities and root canals and crowns that have to be done. Mine included. I would just like to say SLOW DOWN up there, I can't do everything at once :~\. I do know that if I did, I would get more trials and they would get increasingly harder.

Also today, I had an MRI done. This was a circus trying to get done as well. I hate insurance companies. They rule our lives. Just the drama of trying to get an approval at a different place than UVRMC, at which I don't trust the radiologist at all, was almost not worth it. Why can't we just have it so when we are sick or otherwise afflicted we see a doctor and get all the tests needed run, so we can get better. I feel like it is all a conspiracy to keep us sick so they can make more money. I saw the new Neurologist on Wednesday. He didn't give me any answers; however, he didn't pass me off either, which is good, except now I have to go through many of the tests again, which is emotionally and physically draining. Don't get me wrong, I know this has to be done in order to get a real diagnosis, but I don't know how much longer I can deal with it. It has now been 27 months since the first really bad episode and in that time I have been told that I have several small things wrong, but never anything as to why this paralysis happens. Dan says I have no choice but to deal with it. This being true, it doesn't mean I will make it through with my sanity.

I hope that soon I can feel better about my skills as a mother. It has been shown to me just how much of a complete failure I am at being the mother I want to be. If I was better, my kids wouldn't be struggling the way they are. All I do know is that I am awake most nights trying to figure out where I went wrong and how to fix it. I am afraid I have almost lost one, don't want to lose anymore. I just know that something has to give soon. My health, Kyler's health, Dan's pending employment, money, I could go on. It seemed easier when I was so busy because I just scheduled myself into oblivion and was everywhere for everything. Now I just lay around in my pj's and try to make myself do whatever a one armed person can do. You'd be amazed at how long it takes to do dishes one handed. It can be done though.

Anyway, sorry for the downer post. Hopefully some good news will come soon.

~Christy

Hoping For the Best

This pic was taken as the ship was leaving Mazatlan. We had just spent the day on the beach with our new friends. It is probably the most relaxed I have been for a VERY long time.

Well, here I am at almost 1 AM still not sleeping....Again, but I am sure that it is because I am a little wound up. Tomorrow is the doctors appointment I have been waiting for for a while now. I don't have a lot of trust or faith in most doctors anymore. I have been passed off by too many of them. I am really hoping that this doctor lives up to the good things I have heard about him. I have heard only good things. He is a Neurologist, one I haven't seen or heard of him before and am told he is new to the area. I have been doing as many proactive things as I can lately, in the hopes that I won't just lay down and not get up again. This is actually a very real struggle for me some days. Just coming to grips with these problems is enough to push me to me limit, and does regularly.

I went to the gym on Monday and re-joined my water aerobics class. The instructor is great and was very happy to see me. I told her of my last few weeks and she showed some things I could do that would force movement of my arm without me having to actually move it. It combined with the 20 minutes in the hot tub I think really helped. I was born and raised in Orem, UT and spent a winter in Waukegan, Ill., but as I look back, and as I have told many people, the weather has really affected me even since I was younger. I never knew how to describe it other than whenever the barometric pressuer changes, I start having problems. I know, I'm an "Odd Duck" (I have actually had a doctor call me that) I have had 2 days of function since the gym, but am realizing that as I am typing now, it isn't going to go on much longer.

I ask a favor of all of you, and you probably already are, but please keep our family in your thoughts and prayers. There is a lot of unknown in our lives right now. In a previous blog it was mentioned of a possible move to St. George. We are in the "Waiting Phase" with that, with the doc and my diagnosis, and some other things. There is nothing better than family and friends caring about us during these times. We have had a lot of them lately and you are what has pulled us through.

~Christy

Randomness

This is Buddy. He has lived with us and been part of our family for 5 years now. He is a very loyal dog. I don't know what I would have done without him during some of the recent trials for me personally. He listens and doesn't judge or tell me what I have to correct in myself, he just loves me the way I am. He has been a little upset with Dan and I lately, we did the worst thing you could do to a dog, we brought a cat in the house. He still can't believe it and lets us and the cat know regularly. All in all he is a great dog. If we were to ever leave here, he would be going with us. He is part of the family.

This is Tazzy, the cat mentioned before. This pic was taken right after we got him. He was tiny. I got over my eye swelling shut the day we got him and now I just deal. I think my body adjusted. He is properly named as he is absolutely crazy. We find him in all sorts of places. He tries very hard to play with Bud, but Bud will just growl a very soft growl at him and walk away. Poor thing. He likes to snuggle and purr with both Dan and I. The kids wonder why he won't sit with them. One would wonder if it's the constant throwing him around and fighting over him. He would be along with us as well as he is also a part of the family

This is Jake. I believe this pic was taken the day that he had oral surgery and he was not very happy. He is one that usually has a nice goof on when a camera is aimed toward him. He really did a good job that day, he never did complain about any pain or anything. He was just ornery because of the anesthesia. Not long after this pic was taken he was out building things in the snow with Max. I think they would spend all their time together if they were allowed. Oh well, every now and then he has to come home to his own family. Poor guy.

This would be a pic of Megan's new guitar she got for Christmas in her room. I find it to look just as a 13 year old girls room would. Jonas Brothers on the wall and all kind of other boys, I think Zack Efron is there somewhere, I can't remember the others. She now has a book on how to play a guitar and is attempting to learn how to play it. Maybe she will be more likely to practice the guitar than she has her flute.

I remember the pics on my wall were of John Stamos and Duran Duran, oh and my buddy Jon Bon Jovi. You'll have to ask Dan about Jon. We were very close. Scary thoughts huh!!

This is a rare photo of Kyler with almost a smile on his face. I am thinking that it is because we got Guitar Hero World Tour for Christmas as a family gift and he was showing his skills on the drums. He will probably be very mad at me for posting this. Quite honestly, I think it's a miracle that whoever took this picture made it out in one piece and with the camera. It was probably Jake. He's the only one fast enough to get away. Just know that this is a treat that you all got to see an almost smile. It may not happen again for a very long time. PS-Kyler, you know I'm teasing you right?

This is Aubree. It looks like she is standing in Megan's room. She got the hat she is wearing for Christmas and I don't think she has removed it since. It was one of those things that when we were shopping we walked by them and Dan stopped and said that "Aubree would die for this hat". I guess he was right, I think we could have gotten away with getting her nothing else. I think it's possible that she wears it to bed. Aubree is the anything that makes me beautiful girl. It's all about how she looks with her.

Well, since I posted the dog and cat first, I am sure I will get the lecture about "Well we can see what not who is on the top of your list", I am going to go one step further and not post any pics of Dan or I. Really, you don't need to see us. We are trying to move along with the next steps in our life and make the best decisions we can. Things are changing quickly for us, sometimes faster than we can handle, but hopefully the changes that are being made are for the best, because that is what we strive for to take care of our family. Answers to questions seem to be coming lately and hopefully more are on their way. All we can do is our best and hope for the best.

I hope this posting finds you all happy and well.

~Christy

Another week

Another beautiful week in Utah Valley. Some long standing questions were answered, which just opened the door to more questions.

This picture was taken of Mount Timpanogos from the Y mountain trail head. I find this to be a good spot to go and eat lunch on the days that I have to go into the office, the view of the valley is great and sometimes I take the time to actually hike up the mountain, and as a bonus, the Taco Bell is between my office and the trail.

Our New Year's gift to our children was to take our family to the dentist's office. We found an office that we like in Lehi, Stonehaven Dental. Christy, Kyler, Megan and Aubree were there for their check-ups and cleanings. The office caught the y2k09 bug and none of their computers worked. They were unable to take any x-rays so we have to bring everybody back in 2 weeks. They were still able to bill me for a little over $3000 for the visit. I guess there are some things that can still be done without a computer.

Jake have to have 4 teeth pulled and crowns and spacers put in. This was quite the ordeal for him as the anesthiseologist had to try 3 times to get the I.V. in. He took a little while to recover after the surgey, and was a little wobbly for a few hours, but by the afternoon, he was building snow forts with Max. We walked in thinking the Aubree was getting braces this year and when we walked out, it was Kyler who gets the pleasure.

This week I had the opportunity to work the NBAD-League showcase, the NBA's minor league player's chance to show off their skills to scouts and recruiters from across the nation and around the world. 4 games a day for 4 days. Notice the guy in the green jacket in the background of this pic and this one. The capstone game was between our Utah Flash (the farm team for the Jazz and the Celtics), and the LA Defenders. Ronnie Brewer, Danny Ainge, Scott Layden and Jerry Sloan were there. The coach generally avoids being noticed by entering and exiting the building through the back door, and sitting in the crowd as to not stand out. He was very gracious as kids came up to him and asked for his autograph and picture. Christy and Aubree also were able to talk to him and get their pictures taken with him. He would ask the kids how they were doing in school and was just generally a very classy guy. A little different from the coach seen on the news after a loss.

-Dan

Kyler

This is Kyler. Many of you have never met him. He is one that doesn't like his picture taken and I will probably be in BIG trouble with him because of posting this pic. This is a self portrait. Oh well.

Kyler has struggled for most of his life, trying to fit in socially. He has a unique personality. Many want to think that he is erogant and that he likes to stretch the truth, which would be easy to think, but the real truth is that he is a sweet kid that would give the shirt off his back to help someone. Finally yesterday we were given some hope to be able to help him get through some of these struggles. Although he isn't sure yet, this is hopefully going to be a life changing thing for him. He has suffered for most of his life with not being able to get a restful nights sleep or to be able to keep his body sitting still. Which could drive anyone crazy, or make them extrememly onery. His nick name at school and on all of the teams he's on is Twitch, because of this. He thinks it's cool, which I have to commend him for doing. He is taking it in stride. I am reluctant to release the diagnosis on this site, only because of it being open to anyone. His privacy does matter.

I just realized he would be very angry with me for using the "enemy" color while talking about him. Now I have changed it to a more proper color. I have to remember these things in order to try and keep a semi happy home.

Previously I mentioned that Kyler would give the shirt off his back for anyone, this pic here is of him cleaning shingles off a person in our ward's house.He was up and over there at 6 AM. He will gripe about it, but would never actually not go because he would feel bad.Recently he has been pushing cars out of the snow. One thing that I have noticed is that he waves at EVERYONE he sees, whether he knows them or not. He has a big heart and is actually very friendly, I just wish others knew how great he really is. We are very proud of his want to be of service.

My hope is that soon Kyler will be able to see that we love him and only want the best for him, that he will realize his own worth and be able to move on with his life and gain some confidence and get new friends that truly care about him and understand why he is the way he is. I hope that he understands the importance of school and that he is a smart person and that school is the best easiest way to further his athletic aspirations. He is a very good athlete and could play any sport he tries, but is cut short many times because of the lack of focus on school. I am hoping big things for him in the future. I hope he is as well.

Ok, I had better stop now so as to not embarass him too much. I just wanted to give him some kudos for being a good kid.

~Christy

Possible Happenings in Our Future

We think that Christy has MS. At one point today she lost feeling and use of her right leg. We looked up the symptoms on webmd and the doctor that we saw last week mentioned that she thought that is what this looked like. The web says that the weather effects the symptoms, which makes sense that this happens mostly in the winter. I have applied for a job at our St George office and we have been looking on the web for housing in St George, Mesquite, and the surrounding areas. We'll see what happens, I may not even get an interview, but if it's meant to be, things will fall into place.

~Dan

Our new neice and the passing of a dear friend

I have a rare moment of use from my right arm, so I am using it to write to all of you :-) For those of you who read it... Don't you feel special now?



This is our new niece, Madison Lee Golding. Born December 30, 2008 some time around 3 PM. She belongs to my brother Travis and his wife Jessica. She holds the place of probably the last grandchild for my parents. They now have 23, so it's all good. So the torch as far as I know will now be passed on to the great grand children. I do have a reason for going on about this, I promise. I haven't been out a lot to be around for many of these happenings lately, but I got to go see them pretty soon after Madison was born.


A few weeks ago I was on Facebook, as I spend a lot of time there, looking through and updating, when I got in the middle of a conversation between my brother, who is a Respiratory Therapist, and a family friend who works as a PCT at UVRMC(the hospital). They were talking somewhat in those medical jargon so I butted in and asked what was going on. I was informed by the family friend that her dad was in the hospital and was pretty sick. From this point, not being able to go see him because of my own issues at home, I checked in with our friends almost every day. This man's(Paul Thomas) son Steve and family have been friends of ours for years. For Dan, since childhood. Steve was actually the person who brought Dan and I together. As well as Dan and I returning the favor and introduced Steve and Shannon. Anyway, I have had Paul(Steve's dad) on my mind A LOT during this time. The last week or so as the information about him started getting worse, I had a lot of time to ponder. I have had to sit here with my own trials to think about, but I just kept thinking that at least I wasn't having to deal with what Sharlene, and Steve, and the rest of their family was dealing with. It made me really think about my dad and how I might react. I couldn't get this off of my mind. On Tuesday, December 30th my brother and sister in law headed toward the hospital and I spoke to Shannon and it dawned on me that there would be a roller coaster of emotions during that day. I instantly asked her how Steve and everyone else was doing. She said as well as could be expected. So I waited, for the text that I would get from Shannon and the call about the baby being born.


People say that when there is death, there is always a new birth. As I experienced on Tuesday December 30th the actuality of this, I was taken over with emotion. Did one really have something to do with another? I have to believe that death is a rebirth of sorts, at least in to the next life. These 2 events were within minutes of each other. One person did not know the other, but is it possible that one could have helped the other go through their given journey? I can't believe that it is a coincidence.


Anyway, I have since almost put my emotions in check, and visited my brother and sister in law and Madison, and hope that Paul's family knows that I have been thinking about them and praying for them as this is all I can do right now.


OK, I had better stop before I push it and my arm decides to revolt. I hope that whoever reads this blog finds what I have to say interesting. It is good for me to write some of this down as well, and hopefully it is a little glimpse into who I am.


-Christy