In My Copious Free Time

update on Alex

Alex is doing fairly well today - we was able to walk around a bit this evening.  We just talked to the orthopedist again about the blood work they've done today and how he's responding and the issue is that there are two possible diagnoses: septic arthritis (bacterial) or toxic synovitis (viral). His white cell count is elevated, but not as high as they'd expect with septic arthritis. Other counts are elevated, but only nominally, and with septic arthritis he should be in a lot more pain, unable to move his hip. But his pain level yesterday seemed greater than would be expected with toxic synovitis. Finally, the ultrasound, which showed some fluid but not much, doesn't do anything to clear up the other inconclusive observations or results.

So that leaves us with two ways to be rule out septic arthritis: one is to continue the aggressive approach with antibiotics, put him under general anesthesia and aspirate his hip to test the fluid. This would give us a clear-cut answer, but it would also be more traumatic for Alex, and perhaps for no good reason other than giving us an easier diagnosis.

The other option is be less aggressive, take him off the antibiotic and closely observe him. IF his fever spikes and his pain and range of movement worsens, then it's more likely to be septic arthritis and the aggressive approach of aspirating his hip (and putting him under) is called for. But if he continues to get better (which would be exactly what would happen with toxic synovitis), he'll go home on Monday afternoon and we'll just watch him for fever over the next few days.

I've already done a good bit of reading on both these conditions and what the doctor said was exactly what I expected. We agree that it's in Alex's best interest to go with the less aggressive and less invasive approach. So we'll hang out here tomorrow with lots of observation and they'll give him ibuprofen for pain (he hasn't wanted/need any pain medication since last night, though). If he continues to improve, they'll do another run of blood work on Monday morning to confirm his counts are still moving in the right direction and we'll go home with instructions to take his temp every few hours and call the doc and return to the ER if his fever returns.

Not fun and not comfortable but we think it's the best option.

Alex hospitalized

Alex started complaining intermittently Thursday night of pain in one leg, which we chalked up to growing pains. His activity that day and night was fairly normal, including a trip to Target and a few rounds of Wii tennis. On Friday morning, he was still complaining of pain and didn't want to go with me to my office, so we let him stay in bed and Joe stayed home.

At about 2:30 I checked in to learn that he hadn't gotten up all day and said he couldn't, so we went into motion. His doctor referred us immediately to the ER and we got there about 4pm. He was seen fairly quickly (we might have waited 10 minutes) and then they put us in a private exam room. This was a Good Thing since it seemed to be a busy night in the ER - all the examining bays were full and there were plenty of people on gurneys in the halls.

Over the next few hours he saw three different doctors, had x-rays (he got to see the film, which was the highlight of the stay for him), had blood drawn and an IV line inserted and had an ultrasound. He was up and down in terms of comfort, but miserable anytime any doctor wanted to examine his left leg or move it or him in any way. :(

At about 8:00pm, they administered an IV antibiotic which I don't remember, but he will will have it again at 8pm tomorrow night assuming we are still here (and I am assuming that). At about 9:45pm, they administered vancomycin, a particularly powerful antibiotic. He'll receive it again in another hour or so, and I'll be asking them to administer it more slowly as the first drip produced a reaction known as red man syndrome, a histamine release reaction that causes redness of the neck and torso and associated itching.

I made a list and Joe went to fetch food for us all (which Alex ate little of) and then some comfortable clothes, Alex's laptop and his favorite stuffed toy (Beaker from The Muppets, BTW) so that we could be a bit more comfortable.

He was finally admitted and they put us in a room at 11pm. He was immediately taken by being able to raise and lower his bed and having a remote for the TV. (Last I checked, we had the latter at home, but this is apparently Different.) He finally fell asleep at about midnight and has been resting comfortably since.

Since the room is tiny and with his bed and the cot they gave us, there isn't even room for a chair big enough to sleep in, so we decided that Joe should go home and sleep there. Internet connection hasn't been good here -- this is the first time in 3 tries that I've been able to connect using my mobile broadband. (No public wireless access.)

The orthopedist will be here to see him in the morning, so we'll see what that brings. I would be shocked if he is released before Sunday, but we'll see what the day brings.

BTW, his care here has been excellent - I feel it has been appropriately thorough and it has definitely been "care" in the truest sense of the word. He has been a total trooper and I've been amazed at how he's maintained his sweet demeanor even though he's been in some significant pain. (He said several times it's the "worst thing of my whole life." :( )

Chauvinism rears its ugly head

The following letter ran in the Glens Falls Post Star, the paper for a town a bit north of where I live. Kirsten Gillibrand was elected to the US House of Representatives in 2006 in the district that borders mine and while I couldn't vote for her, I followed her campaign closely and was very happy to see her win. This letter absolutely turns my stomach.

The Glens Falls Post Star
Published: Thursday, December 20th, 2007

Editor:

Regarding a story that appeared in The Post-Star on Dec. 6: "Rep. Gillibrand announces she is pregnant."

First of all, I must admit that I am a male chauvinist and that there are, thankfully, differences between men and women. There are many occupations suitable for women and their physical attributes. Carrying a weapon while serving in the Armed Forces and firefighting are not suitable lines of work for women to prove that they are physically equal to men. How many male police officers feel comfortable with a 100 pound female backup?

And now, I have to add serving in the U.S. House and Senate as an occupation that may not be suitable for women.

Ms. Gillibrand's current pregnancy makes a strong case for my opinion. Ms. Gillibrand was elected to serve her constituency, and while she is away from her elected office she cannot perform those duties. The taxpayers who were duped into voting for her will have to pay for her medical benefits. Yes, Mr. and Mrs. Taxpayer, Ms. Gillibrand receives excellent health benefits, courtesy of her constituents. We will be without representation in Congress for a time leading up to and following the child's birth. There will be times when she and the new baby will visit doctors. You can add those days to the total that she will not be serving her constituents.

The current base salary (2006) for members of the House and Senate is $165,200 per year. I wonder if Ms. Gillibrand will do the right thing and reimburse the U.S. Treasury in the amount of $452.60, her daily salary, for each day that she is unable to perform her elected duties. For some reason, I doubt it.

RON BLACHUT

Queensbury

Book meme

Fellow blogger and Twitter friend Drew McLellan tagged me a few weeks ago with this book meme. I'm a sucker for memes like this and the fact that it involves books makes it even better.

How many books do I own?

A lot. I'm out of room for them on the shelves and, frankly, out of spaces I can put shelves without some serious house reorganizing. Books are stacked everywhere. I need to get Library Thing. (man, should have asked for that for xmas)

Last book I read

The Day I Turned Uncool, by Dan Zevin. Hilarious, quick read.

Last book I bought

If I count gifts, then In Vogue: An Illustrated History of the World's Most Famous Fashion Magazine. If I don't count gifts, then the new Patricia Cornwell book (below).

What I'm currently reading

I usually have too many books going. Right now I have the new Patricia Cornwell (Book of the Dead), Microtrends by Mark Penn (haven't gotten far) and Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's by John Elder Robinson.

What I'll read next

The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

The Myths of Innovation by Scott Berkun

The Imagineering Way

Shoot, I just remembered I have my TED book club books to read, so I better add them to the list. One is a coffee table book (Blue Planet Run) and one is The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt. I don't remember the third and the box they all came in is still at my office.

What's on my wish list

Lots and lots.

The Kings of New York: A Year Among the Geeks, Oddballs, and Genuises Who Make Up America's Top HighSchool Chess Team

Mississippi Sissy by Kevin Sessums

The Principles of Uncertainty by Maira Kalman

The Design of Everyday Things by Donald Norman

What Got You Here Won't Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith

Know-How: The 8 Skills that Separate Those Who Perform from Those Who Don't by Ram Charan

It's Not How Good You Are, It's How Good You Want to Be by Paul Arden

5 Meaningful Books (for me)

1. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. I came to read this book through unexpected circumstances, and learned a lot about myself in the process.

2. The Nibble Theory by Kaleel Jamison. Taught me power of nibbles and that big me doesn't have to equal small you. And vice versa.

3. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Probably my first "grown-up" read of a book, opening my mind up to the complexity of human nature in a way nothing else ever had.

4. One Writer's Beginnings by Eudora Welty. Slim, quiet book that packs a powerful 1-2 punch of razor sharp prose with equally sharp powers of observation.

5. Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (might as well provide the link since I had to go get the spelling of his name). Tackles a fundamental question -- what is a good life? -- in a surprising way.

So...now I have to tag some folks.

Jocelyn
Mack
Joan
Doug
Angie

Christmas: the lights, the music, the foul language

One of Alex's favorite holiday songs is Brenda Lee's "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree." He sings it all the time, often interjecting his own words. (Like, "Rockin' around NewYork Ci-ty...")

Today we were listening and he was singing along so happily. When it was over, I commented that he really loves the song and sings it well. He agreed with me and was silent for a moment. Then he piped up, "But Mommy, it has a bad word in it."

"Bad word? What bad word?" I asked.

His response? "You know, 'Later we'll have some fuckin' pie and we'll do some caroling.'"

I almost drove off the road with that one, my friends.

It's official - he's too smart for me

I was just reading something about Expedition Everest and turned to Alex to tell him what I'd just learned.

Me: Hey, you know the big hill you go down on Expedition Everest?
Me: You know, the one after they take your picture?
Alex: Yeah.
Me: Did you know it's...
Alex: 80 feet.
Me: [taken aback]
Me: How did you know that?
Alex: I read the Wikipedia.

There you have it, folks.

Grandpa Ringo

Jocelyn, this one is for you.

Seen as I drove back to my office today after picking up Alex:

Missing: One tooth

Alex's two bottom teeth have been loose for a few weeks, and last night I finally remembered to take some pictures of his grin while it was still intact. Good thing I did. We immediately left for the mall and while we were there (in the Hallmark store, to be precise), he turned to me and said "Look Mommy, my tooth came out, and it didn't hurt at all!"

For posterity (after pic taken with phone camera in the mall, hence the poor quality):

I've found a new hobby

I can be quite a crafty person, but when I recently decided to try my hand at tie dye, I was pretty sure I'd make a big mess of it. I specifically wanted to make some Mickey Mouse tie dye shirts and after reading some instructions figured it was worth a shot.

The instructions call for the design to be traced on, stitched around with fishing line or dental floss and then gathered up tightly by pulling the line ends. I did this, prepared the shirts, mixed different dye colors and got to work. I did a spiral patterned shirt for each of us. It took a lot of dye and I worked carefully to avoid messing up the color sections too much and to get the dye into the folds of the shirt bundles. Once they were pretty well soaked, I wrapped them up in plastic and let them sit for 24 hours. (This is the most difficult part of the process because the bundles looked so pretty and color-saturated that I could hardly wait to undo them and see how the shirts came out.)

So tonight was the rinsing and unwrapping. I am totally thrilled with how they came out! I was sure I'd like mine least of all, but I think I like it best. Alex's Mickey design came out the least defined of the three, probably an error in how close to the gathered area I placed rubber bands. Joe's had the most white space on it, but his shirt was the biggest and also the thickest, so it was really hard to get into all the folds.

I have a lot of dye left and a bunch of white shirts, so I think I'll do a few more tomorrow...this could be addictive! Photos below -- the flash washed them out a fair amount - the colors are richer in real life. On my shirt, for instance, the Mickey is an eggplant color.

Joe's shirt:

Alex's shirt: