Jason started a new job last week also. He finally got fed up with his previous job. He wasn't going to quit before he found a new job, but with what happened the day he put in his 2 weeks notice, I was right there a long with him.
One week after I took the girls to the pediatrician Alex was up all night coughing. She probably caught what Anna had. When we woke up the morning (Valentines day come to think of it) after my very restless night with Alex, she spiked a fever of 102. She didn't look well, tired of course because she was up all night coughing. Still, you could tell in her eyes that she wasn't well. Her chest was rattling, and she was coughing up a lot of stuff, very clingy to me, I couldn't put her down for a second. Before I got Mary to school, I told Jason what was going on with Alex and we both agreed that I needed to bring her in ASAP. Jason was supposed to go to work, and Mary still had to get to school, Anna had her ballet class and school to go to also that day. Jason decided that he had better call into work so that he could take care of the other girls while I took Alex in.
He called in 2 hours before he was supposed to be there. They gave him shit about it. Jason works in sales, and he was supposed to be at the store that he managed by himself that day. They said they didn't have anyone to cover for him, so he had to come in. I didn't know how long I would be at the hospital for (my pediatrician wasn't in that day, so I had to take her to the ER) They questioned him, like he was lying about his daughter being sick! Unbelievable! He ended up going in, I put off taking Alexandria to the doctor until the girls were done with what they had to do that day. I couldn't keep Anna out of ballet, she already had missed three classes because of being sick. Also with it being valentines day, and Anna working so hard to write her name on 18 valentines cards for her classmates, I couldn't keep her out of school either. She only goes for two days a week, and loves every minute of it. I brought Alexandria to grandmas, were she slept for 3 hours, so that was good and I didn't have to drag her around all day. The snap she took was good for her, she woke up feeling a Little better and drank a whole 8 oz bottle.
During all of this, Jason had some serious conversations with his boss at work. His boss said that if it were his daughter, and it was emergent, he wouldn't have gone to work or waited around for someone to give him an OK. So, he tells Jason that he had to come in, then asks him why he bothered?! He was still questioning Jason. That's when Jason turned in his two week notice. Mind you, Jason hasn't been in a good position, or on good terms with his boss there for a while now to begin with. This put him over the edge. What, you can't have a family when you work for this place?
I was worried because if he didn't get a job in those two weeks it was going to hurt us financially. It ended up that called an old boss that he worked for when everything went down with Anna, and they welcomed him back right away. Jason started that job the day after he put in his notice. It's not a job that he wanted, but it's better than the one he just left (money wise) and it will have to do for a while. This is where Jason worked when Anna was sick, and they were very good, great even, about the time that Jason needed off.
So, that day when I finally got Alexandria to the doctor ( I ended up taking her to an immediate care center). They took a chest x-ray and that came out clear. That surprised me because of the way she was breathing. When the doctor looked in her throat, it made her gag, and she coughed up a nice big wad of mucus. After that she sounded so much better. She did have bronchitis, a sinus infection, and an infection in the ear that wasn't infected when we took her in the week before. He said that the ear looked like it was about to perforate. Yikes, no wonder she felt the way she did. Poor baby. He put her on more antibiotics, and gave us Albuterol inhaler. She had a better nights sleep that night, but woke up with a diaper blow out. Being on two antibiotics at once, along with a decongestant and Tylenol for her fever, she had stomach upset. So, the next five days we were dealing with that. Then Mary cough the cough, along with a fever. Then Anna started to have unexplained fevers for four days in a row.
Anyway, like I said it has been crazy here for they are progressively feeling better now. Thank God I never got anything, it was hard enough trying to take care of three girls simultaneously and sometimes all at once. I feel like we have been in the doctors office more than home. Now, I have spent the past few days disinfecting my house. Hopefully we're done with all of this.
We are coming up on Anna's 4 year transplant anniversary soon! I can't believe four years have gone by already. Anna continues to amaze us everyday. I'm not sure how we will celebrate. I think we'll let Anna pick a restaurant to eat at. She has been asking for Rollerblades, so I think we'll just might have to buy some for her! Along with elbow pads, knee pads, and a helmet of course. I want to give her the world, but I think roller blades will have to do for now. Lately she has been asking to go back to Disney World, and has asked me, "wouldn't it be cool to live at Disney world!" I tried telling her that if we lived there, it wouldn't be as exciting anymore. Yeah right, try telling that to a four year old. Then she told me that maybe Alexandria will be special like her, and be able to make a wish, and she would wish for Disney World too, because she (Anna) would tell her how much fun it was. We had a long conversation about that too.
We'll be going to Children's for transplant clinic, blood work, and her yearly ultrasound. If everything look good we will be going for yearly visits then, but of course still go every three months for blood work. I would also like to talk to them about her immune suppresant weaning and how they feel about how that is going. Obviously, I now it's going good so far, so I wonder if they might wean her down a little more that day! Maybe, Maybe!!!!
Last matter of business: Anna's friend Annika.
I have written about Annika in many of my posts, but for those of you who don't know her story I will write a brief summary (or get her full story her). Annika is also a liver patient at Children's memorial hospital. She is a year older than Anna, and has already had two Liver Transplants. She has had many complications post transplant including major bleeds. She has spent this past thanksgiving and Christmas in the hospital (in the PICU on Christmas day, unconscious) Only just recently she was able to go home, but the doctors have warned her parents that this will only be short lived. She is in need of another transplant, and to make matters worse her insurance company has cut her off for the year, and it is only February! They are having to fund raise now so that they can pay Annika's many medical bills. If you would like to help by visiting her site here, or Annika's Insurance policy, or her COTA fund it would be more than appreciated. I am going to put up a few buttons to on my page permanently, linked to these sites.
We have met Annika and her family on a few occasions, and I can't say enough great things about them. They don't deserve what they are going through right now.
Here are a couple pictures of Annika and Anna:
Annika, Mary, and Anna two summers ago at the zoo.
