10 Months SVT FREE!

And we're walking on egg shells.  Waiting for the ball to drop.  Panicking.  Preparing.  And all at the same time while we're also thanking God, rejoicing, feeling blessed, hoping and praying.

Almost a whole year SVT free.  We never thought we'd see this.  Of course, we know we need to consider the fact that Miss K has only gained 1 pound in this whole past year and just maybe her medications are just working really great because she's not getting heavier.  But we can always hope that maybe she has outgrown her PJRT, or is slowly outgrowing it at any rate.

Miss K is still taking 3.2mL Propanolol 3 times a day and 1.2mL Digoxin 2 times a day.

The life of an SVT baby:

Syringes all over the house, both dirty and clean.
Medications piled up in her room, out of reach of course, but still visible so we don't forget to give them.
Empty medication bottles and boxes throughout the house, always at least one in the trash can on trash day.
An alarm set on both Mommy and Daddy's phones so we don't forget her afternoon Propanolol.
Stethoscopes in every room, though they are rarely used lately they are still there.
Heart rate App on both Mommy and Daddy's phones (cardiograph app).
Our favorite local pharmacy knowing Mommy's face and name, knowing exactly what I am there for each month.
Our favorite local pharmacist knowing and usually remembering without fail that Mommy prefers the Propanolol in 2 small bottles rather than 1 big bottle and that she prefers the prescription label for the Digoxin be placed on the bottle rather than the box.
Miss K understanding, and allowing, us to "hear" her by placing our ear to her chest and listening for a few seconds.  (done about twice a day)
Miss K understanding, and allowing, us to place a hand over her heart and holding still long enough for us to feel her little heart beat. (done a few times a day)
Miss K knowing the word "medicine" and knowing exactly what it means.
Miss K having medications such a huge part of her daily routine to the point of her reminding us when it's time for medicine even when we forget.
Miss K finding play syringes in a dress-up doctors kit and telling her baby doll "time for medicine!" while putting said syringe into her baby doll's mouth and pushing the plunger.
Miss K finding play stethoscopes in a dress-up doctors kit and placing it on her own chest to listen and then placing it on her baby dolls chest, somehow putting it in the correct location every time.
Having to tell Grandma "No" for sugary sweets and drinks even though the other grandkids all have them at the moment.
Finding Sugar Free popsicles and treats in one Grandma's house set aside especially for Miss K.
Having to remind Grandpa's and Uncle's "no tipping upside down!" and "no tossing high into the air!", these things have NOT caused SVT yet but we aren't willing to chance it so we just plain don't allow it.
Doctors appointment reminders for Cardiology coming in over the phone every few months, set in Mommy's phone calendar, and written on the family calendars all over the house.
Avoiding illness like the plague, more paranoid than the average parent, praying to avoid fevers at all costs, staying home all the time, rarely getting an adventure at any public place especially during cold and flu season.
Being familiar too with Primary Children's Medical Center.

So many more things I could list if I could remember them.  But we'll take all of it to get to keep our sweet little princess!

Lately I have been feeling so blessed, and then so guilty, about Miss K's last few quiet months.  The guilt comes from knowing a few other sweet PJRT babies who are not as lucky as Miss K yet, they are still enduring a lot of trial and error with their medications and such and dealing with SVT and frequent Cardiologist visits.  Though I know we have been there, Miss K was not been spared these trials in the slightest, but I almost feel like it's not fair that she is now mostly healthy and SVT free when they are still struggling daily :(.  We pray for them all the time, and worry until we hear good news from them.

Daddy has Influenza :o(

It's been a long 3 days for this Momma!  I.am.exhausted.  All I can do at this point is pray I can stay healthy through this!

Big Brother got a bad cold over the weekend, he never fevered but had a very bad, though inconsistent, cough and bad congestion and runny nose.  Sadly this cold resulted in a possible ear infection, I took him into the Pediatrician just to be sure he didn't have something really nasty that Miss K might get when we found his ear was starting to show signs of infection :o(.  On the good side it did get Big Brother on Amoxacillin, as much as I hate medicating my children for any reason I really don't wish to have one suffering during Christmas or worse end up in Urgent/After Hours care away from home.  Putting Big Brother on Amoxacillin now, even though he doesn't have an infection yet, will help us through the holidays.  Usually the Pediatrician would have had me watch him close for a week and schedule a follow up for next week to make sure the ear did not turn into an infected sight but our Pediatrician is all awesomeness and insisted he did not want us in Urgent care with an ear infection on Christmas :o).

Worse...Daddy came home feeling quite sick Monday evening.  He spent the night with severe chills that literally shook our bed all night long, and he coughed all night long and vomited and complained of muscle aches, a headache, and a sore throat.  Tuesday he was up and gone before any of us got up, he had to take a 2 hour trip to see a job sight.  I hoped this meant he would be just fine but I was beyond wrong.  He came home from the trip hours before quitting time and curled up on the couch to die.  I sent him to the after hours clinic to see what he had, we have to keep Miss K healthy if we can!  The Dr. there told him it was definitely Viral and she was quite positive it is Influenza, even though all of us got the Flu shot back in October :o(.  So the Dr. took a nose culture and sent it in to be tested promising to call him this morning and let him know what the results were.  He spent all Tuesday afternoon, evening and night on the couch with chills and a fever and commenced with the coughing, nose blowing, congestion, and vomiting...and added Diarrhea to the symptoms.  It's amazing how one virus can cause every symptom in the book to happen all at once!  This morning found Daddy still on the couch, way too sick to go in to work.  We never heard from the Dr. all day about his test results so this evening Daddy called the clinic and asked, they told him they'd call back in a bit...we waited 2 hours and called again to finally hear that he does indeed have Influenza :o(.  And the Dr. that saw him was not on call tonight so he couldn't talk to her, she promised to prescribe Tamaflu for the rest of us in the house to protect us from his virus but because she wasn't in the clinic tonight we have to wait until morning to get that taken care of.  I have no confidence this will happen so if we haven't heard back from her by 9:00am I will be calling my Obstetrician and asking him if he can prescribe Tamaflu for me and then I will also be calling our Pediatrician in hopes of him being able to prescribe it for both kids, to heck with the after hours clinic Dr.!

Miss K woke up running a high fever of 101 this morning :o(.  She was miserable all day long with a constant fever that I have not been able to keep below 99.9.  She also has congestion, though not as bad as Big Brother or Daddy yet, and her nose is running like a faucet, she has a cough as well.  We can see in her eyes that she does not feel well at all.  And my poor baby girl slept all day long today, I think she was awake maybe 4 hours total today.  I felt so bad when we couldn't let her fall asleep when she wanted to for bedtime, she had to stay awake until we were in the clear to give her her Propanolol and Digoxin, poor baby kept trying to fall asleep sitting up in the middle of the floor :o(.  On the good side I was able to get 1/2 a container of Pedialyte in her today, and a tiny bit of water and some milk :o).  And she IS eating, she ate every meal today, even porked out on dinner like she was half starved.  Hopefully she wakes up feeling better in the morning, and hopefully I can get tons of liquids in her tomorrow as well.  Another plus is that she has not had SVT today :o), praying with everything I have that she doesn't have any tomorrow or the next day either!  Daddy took the prayers one step further and called our Home Teachers and asked if they could come give Miss K a Priesthood blessing.  They came late tonight and gave her a wonderful blessing :o), also made Daddy feel so bad that he is too sick to do this for her himself :o(.

I have made no less than 4 trips to the grocery store in 2 days.  Every time I think we have everything we need to take care of everyone we find I am wrong and I am sent out once again...tonight Daddy needed Pepto Bismal badly, and we could have used another bottle of Ibuprophine for Miss K but I have had enough of the store for a bit and refused to leave the house yet again.  Daddy will suffer, but he'll live I am sure and we have just enough Ibuprophine to make it through tomorrow morning so I don't feel bad.

I have been spraying Lysol on every surface for 3 days now, including any pillows and the couch every time Daddy touches them.  I literally mean every surface has been sprayed multiple times.  I also have had hand sanitizer sitting on the dining table all week, I use it every time I touch one of the sickies or something they have touched.  I also require Daddy and Big Brother use it every time they touch anywhere on their face and after they use the restroom and, of course, after they touch Miss K and anything she has touched.  I have become the sanitizer Natzi!  But I refuse to get this illness, I am 32 weeks pregnant and I have a household to run, there is no way I can afford getting as sick as they have all been.  It's just too bad I couldn't stop the kids from sharing their toys and germs, poor Miss K still ended up getting sick even with everything I have done :o(.

I think after all this is said and done I will need a vacation...alone.  "I need", "I want", "I don't feel good", "I hurt"...all phrases I have heard constantly for 3 days now from 2 kids AND a husband.  It get's tiring real fast.  Not to mention the lack of sleep I have to endure through it all and no time to sit down and take care of myself for a minute.  I may end up getting sick just because I'm being ran to my whits end!