This is a test, only a test

Well Samantha and I went to bed at 6pm Sunday evening in an effort to get some sleep. Unfortunately neither of us was able to go to sleep so it was more like rest, until about 9pm when she fell asleep. Then I woke her up at midnight to prepare for a dr ordered sleep deprived EEG. On the prep sheet they gave us it said "Patient must stay up from midnight Sunday until the EEG test is performed" It also said "patient must bring a driver for sleep deprived EEG " This concerned Samantha because she thought they meant a driver who was NOT sleep deprived. I assured her it didn't say that, it only said bring a driver, so I could be sleep deprived too. LOL. We spent the first 2 or 3 hours cleaning the girls closet and room...FUN! Than Sam decorated things for the baby shower we plan to throw my sister in a couple weeks. About 4ish we decided we needed help staying awake so we let the dogs come upstairs, and shortly thereafter Haley woke up and joined us (um the dogs might have had something to do with that too). That was wonderful cause I dozed off while Sam did Haley's hair, Cause Sam wasn't allowed to use anything on her own hair before the test, so she felt she could not possibly start a day without putting tons of products in hair, so she used Haleys hair instead. At 6ish we got dressed and ate breakfast and left for Washington Regional. A little after 8 we were called back to a room where they stuck 23 electrodes on Sam's head, and flashed a stobe light in her eyes for a few minutes, followed by telling her to hyperventilate, then finally they wanted to test her sleeping. Sleeping was not a problem for her at that point so they got the tests they wanted. No results were shared with us at all. 
Than we stopped by Subway for a drink and snack before heading to Mana for ther MRI. She was extremely nervous about the MRI as she is a bit claustrophobic , and I was not allowed back with her on this one. But she made it through fine and was told that Dr Moon likes to read his own results , so again no information was given to us. I did briefly meet a boy and his grandma in the waiting room going through much the same thing we are, so it was somewhat comforting to know we are not alone in this, and we had a nice visit while waiting for Sam to come out. Then we came home and I attempted to work a little (bad idea) I messed up a few things which I corrected this morning, and now we wait. Our appointment with Dr Moon is March 6th , which seems like an eternity away right now. And so we wait. And if anyone knows anyone going through anything similar feel free to share this blog, cause any and all information and/or support is welcome right now!

girls hiking in the woods

Well after a morning of peewee basketball games, and a big win for Sierra's team, we decided it was a good day for a hike. So, not letting the pictures on Lee's deer cam of bobcats and bear scare us, we headed up to the 40 acres! 

We hiked and enjoyed nature for a while , then stopped at the waterfall for some water and a snack. Not sure what Samantha was thinking in this one, but it seems to me she's expressing the importance of drinking enough water!

We found some tracks that would pass on TV for bigfoot I'm sure, along with deer tracks and various other animal tracks. We did not see any actual animals at all.  LOL Perhaps cause we were being extremely loud! Sometimes it's fun just to....well .....have fun. (We weren't deer hunting after all).

Apparently some rocks are just too big to move...even for these muscles!

It was fun, it was exercise, it was a little relaxation before we tackle the MRI and EEG testing for Samantha Monday morning. (The busier I stay until I get test results, the better).

ER = extremely rude?

Well Samantha has had only minor episodes for 2 days now, so I am thankful for that. After Monday nights trip to the ER ,because she had an episode at the top of stairs and fell to the bottom, I needed a break! Hopefully she continues to get better and we get some answers soon as to what exactly is going on with her. Because we have testing Monday and an appointment for results March 6th , I have moved back our final walk-thru for foster care to March 19th. My hope is by then we will have some answers on Samantha, and know what we are dealing with. Until we know what we are dealing with I don't think there is any way I could possibly take on raising another child. Trying to stay optimistic (a challenge for me).
Not at all impressed with ER doctors right now. Monday night we walked into the ER and she was so "out of it" they rushed her back to trauma immediately. I was hoping they would do an MRI  cause they had already done a CT scan and it showed nothing the previous time. The Dr refused. I argued with him , but ultimately he won. They did some bloodwork, waited for her to "come around" and sent us home. Now it's not that they don't have an MRI in the ER. They do. They simply refused to use it, even at a parents request, stating it was only for patients who had had a stroke. When we arrived at the ER she could not talk, or stand alone, she was shaking, tears and drool all over her face, and they concede no MRI is necessary, repeated bloodwork which has always been normal, and sent us home. I hope they don't mind when I get as excited about paying their bill as they got about helping my child!

WAITING... WAITING

Well, we got a call from DHS and they are coming for the final? walk-thru on Feb 28th. They were very understanding when I explained that, we would like to finish, but can't actually take any kids until the problems with Samantha are resolved. Honestly I don't even allow myself to daydream about foster/ adopting right now.


Still very concerned about Samantha, but I do like the neurologist she saw yesterday, Dr. Moon. He ordered an MRI and a EEG for the 27th and we are hoping for results by the 6th of March , which is our next appt with him. He said it's possible we are not dealing with seizures, and it could still be something else. It could be something very simple or it could still be a brain tumor. I thought we had ruled those out with the CT scan but apparently not. However if her MRI comes back normal he says that will rule out tumors. Until then I am trying not to stay in a constant state of panic.......trying.

Frustration sets in

Well I must admit , feeling a little defeated today. Samantha continues to have episodes with racing heartbeat, disorientation, shaking, and hyperventilating. Foster care will have to be put on hold until we figure this out, as I am not sure what we're up against here. I called the Dr office yesterday to see if anyone could give me any test results for her and the secretary said , although the Dr had read all test results, the nurse was busy and they were short -staffed so it would be today before I got a call. Still waiting for that call. After a bad episode at school I called to see if the Dr could see her today, but he could not. At this point we are not sure if  the episodes are caused by heart or seizure or something else. At first they said anxiety , but I am having a hard time accepting that the level of anxiety in her life would cause something this extreme. So if anyone has any advice or is experiencing anything similar please let me know. Right now I am extremely frustrated at the lack of concern from her Dr. office, extremely concerned about Samantha, and very upset that when we are so close to opening our home for foster care and possible adoption, that has to be put on hold now too.

foster update

Time for an update on the foster care situation.  We have had so much stress come our way since the decision we made to become foster parents, that we wonder about being under spiritual attack. Between trucking laws becoming more ridiculous all the time, finances being affected because shipping rates are lower, and the mystery illnesses of Samantha these last couple of months, it's starting to get a little discouraging! However we have NOT given up on the whole process. Not yet. Perhaps we thought about it for a moment. But Lee seems to be strong when I am weak and vice versa. No question God put us together as a couple, so we are trusting God to open our home for foster care, heal our child, and make sure the trucking company does fine too. I got an email from Cristal (our teacher in foster care classes) and after asking a few more questions (I guess the half a day she spent here wasn't enough) , she finally said our assessment was done and forwarded on to the next step in the process. Now we wait to hear from Washington county DHS and schedule our final walk-thru and paperwork training. In the meantime Lee and Haley plan to get their physicals Friday and Sam, Sierra , and I got ours last Friday. We all have a TB test scheduled next week and then we will be done with medical requirements. I was a little worried Samantha would not pass , but the Dr. assured me they were just looking to make sure she was not someone who would be harmful to or contagious to a foster child, so she passed. I have also started the very fun process of shopping for clothes for a boy! Now we don't know what size he's gonna be yet, so mostly I have been buying at thrift stores and ebay. But I have a start on closet stocking with various items from size 18 months to size 12.

This will be the foster closet

and OK admittedly I have a little work to do in the socks and underwear department but those are not things I will buy used!

So that's our update for now. And I will very excitedly post when we get the call from DHS that we can finish and open! In the meantime please pray for our family, foster children, and buisness. 
Thank you !

THE BIG SCARE

Well I thought I had a challenging week before, but this week topped it by far.  Tuesday night Samantha had an episode where her heart was beating way too hard and fast, she was hyperventilating, shaking all over, having numbness in her arms and hands, and basically scaring her mom to death! My first thought was I will drive her to the ER. About halfway to 412 my next thought was I need an ambulance. She was in the seat beside me barely breathing and gasping for every single breath. So some wonderful first responders, and soon after, an ambulance met us at Kings River Store that night. Now when you are scared to death that there is something very seriously wrong with your child, seeing that first wonderful first responder is the best thing ever! Just knowing someone is there with you that probably knows more about what to do than you do is extremely helpful. After the ambulance came, and she had oxygen, and her heart rate had returned to , well not normal but much better, they said it would be safe for me to drive her to the ER myself and save a huge ambulance bill. (Nice guys, I appreciate that). So I took her on to the ER where they did testing that showed absolutely nothing except that she was anemic. So they diagnosed her with anxiety attack and said to follow up with her regular Dr. We saw Dr. Embry on Friday and he said , although anxiety attacks are likely, he wanted to do further testing. So he ordered a heart monitor for her to wear (we are still waiting on that to arrive via fed-ex), and did an asthma test and more blood work. (also still waiting on all those results). Meanwhile she is having about 1 episode a day, sometimes 2. The doctors taught her how to breath when they happen so they are only lasting about 5 -10 minutes now instead of a few hours like the first one. Prayers are appreciated , and if anyone has any helpful advice please feel free to comment! And never take your first responders, paramedics, and school nurses for granted!