BLASTED SINUSES!!

Last month I got referred to an ENT specialist about my sinuses, and I'm pleased to report that we are finally getting somewhere with my sinus problems. The doctor sprayed some numbing spray in my nose then inserted a microscope up my nose and down my throat. There were no polyps or blockage from what he could see with the microscope, so he ordered the CAT scan to get a better idea of what was going on where he couldn't see.



Let me back up a little, and share something that some people may never even consider when it

comes to sinuses, and maybe it will save someone a lot of grief and pain. 9 years ago, maybe even longer than that, I had a root canal done on the upper left side of my mouth. I had severe pain, swelling and infection, so the dentist went forth with a root canal.
About 3 years after the root canal was done, we were living in Italy and I was having minor problems with my sinuses, but I coughed it up to seasonal allergies. Our house was surrounded by yineyards, corn fields and lots of farmers. So I did saline rinses and just lived with it.  Then, while we were on a trip enjoying beautiful Tuscany one day, I slowly developed a toothache in the same tooth that the root canal was performed years prior. Since we were away from home, I had to hunt down another American and get some Motrin (because in Italy, they don't sell over the counter meds in stores like they do in the US. You have to hunt down a pharmacy, and it can be difficult if you don't know the area.) That night as we drove home, my face swelled up so bad that I could barely see out of my left eye. I was popping Motrin 800's at dangerous levels to subdue the pain, and I was in agony. We got a hold of an Italian dentist and went in. He recommended re-duing the root canal because it was obviously infected. I remember feeling baffled as to how it could become infected years after the root canal was performed, but I trusted the dentist and had it re-done. He put me on antibiotics to clear up the infection first, then he re-did the root canal in 3 different stages.


Fast forward 2 more years. We had moved again, and were settled in Augusta. I just had Nylah a few months prior. Suddenly, that same tooth started acting up. I had severe pain and swelling and had to go in to my dentist to see what was going on. At this point, I was so frustrated I was ready to have the darn tooth extracted completely! When I got to the dentist, they took xrays and saw nothing wrong with the tooth (thank goodness I got there early before a serious infection broke out like the previous one). He asked me if I was having sinus problems, and I said yes. So, he put me on antibiotics and told me that sometimes sinus problems can cause toothaches; and that I should deal with the sinus problem.  At this point, this was the first time a dentist ever asked me about sinus problems and I started putting 2 and 2 together. But, instead of going in to see an ENT right away, I decided to try a neti-pot (saline rinse) and try a natural approach to clearing up my sinuses first. But, the stuffiness got worse and nothing helped.

Then, a few months ago, the pain in my tooth returned with vengeance, and not only did I have a severe tooth ache, but this time I had the worst migraine I've ever had. Allen had to stay home from work because I was extremely fatigued and I couldn't handle any noise at all. My doctor put me on the same antibiotics, then refereed me to the ENT guys where I had the CAT scan done.

Over the 4th of July weekend, I had another incident related to all this. I was doing yoga and stretching my back in the living room, when suddenly I stood up and got extremely dizzy. The whole room was spinning out of control, and I completely lost my balance and fell to the floor. It was so bad that I was prepared to pass out, so I laid my head down on the floor to keep from hitting my head. It's really quite terrifying losing control like that. After a few minutes the room stopped spinning and I was able to stand up again, but I was extremely nauseous and fatigued, and I ended up going to bed at 6PM. Long story short, it turned out to be a really bad episode of Virtigo, and when I went back to the ENT doctor, he did a series of epley maneuver exercises to loosen up the little crystals that were dislodged in my ear. He said the most maneuvers he's ever had to do with a patient was 3, but it took 5 times with me, and even then I still walked out of his office dizzy and wobbling down the hallway!  If it doesn't clear up in 24-36 hours, then I go back.
I've never ever had issues with my ears until my sinuses got bad, and since then I've had at least 2 ear infections, and now Vertigo.


Finally, on my last trip to the ENT specialist to review the results of my CAT scan, he said I definitely have chronic sinusitis going on, and the CAT scan showed some pretty serious inflammation on both sides of my Maxillary glands. He said whenever I get enough inflammation (which doesn't take much), my maxillary glands close up altogether, which is what is causing all the migraines, ear aches, sinus infections, stuffiness and pain in the nerves of my teeth. So, he wants to do Balloon Sinuplasty Surgery on me as early as July 31st, and Ya'll, I am such a scaredy cat. I went home and watched some Youtube videos, and although it's a fairly simple surgery, it's a scary thing having a needle inserted into both nostrils, then having to sit patiently as they maneuver a metal pole inside both nostrils and puff out a balloon thingy. And all while under local anesthesia. Ugh!  If anyone else has ever had this done, I could definitely use some coaxing. The recovery time is roughly 3 days, and its not as evasive as some sinus surgeries, so now I just need to work up the courage and schedule it.

And the moral of this story is, if you have a history of sinus pain, no matter how minimal, don't let a dentist talk you into a root canal unless you are 100% for sure it's not sinus related!!

Growing Up Nylah

 

 

Earlier this month I participated in a drawing and won a $100 gift card on Etsy.com. For those who know me, you know how much I LOVE shopping on Etsy. I love browsing through the endless homemade gifts and baby clothing. When I won the gift card, I pretty much already knew what I wanted to spend it on. I had been eyeballing a few shops and tops for Nylah, and I adored this little apron! The shop owner custom made it to fit over her white peasant dress (the same one she wore for the beach pics).  It's perfect for playing in.

Yesterday while I was busy making dinner, she got busy playing with her Little Tikes Kitchen. I pulled out some of her plastic utensils that she hadn't seen in a while, and she played contently for a whole hour while I made dinner. I manged to sneak in and get some great shots of her playing. I don't know what is more adorable, the dress and apron, or her imagination hard at work on her kitchen set!

(click on any of the images to make them larger)

Our Happily Ever After

When I was pregnant with Nylah, everyone thought I was having a boy. Only a few people ever thought it was a girl. For whatever reason, people just envisioned a boy. As a result, I started picturing a boy right along with them.  But, somewhere deeper, I think I have always wanted a girl. I know girls. I understand girls. And more importantly, I really wanted that special mother/daughter bond that so many other moms had.

I remember being so frustrated that the ultrasound technician could not tell me at 20 weeks if the baby was a girl or a boy. We went in 2 more times, and they still couldn't see the gender. She was curled up so tight, and there between her legs sat the umbilical cord, keeping it a mystery for a few more weeks. During that time, I remember driving to the store one day, thinking to myself that I was so sure it was a boy. After all, everyone else thought it was a boy. Then, right in the middle of that thought, on popped the song, "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", and instantly I envisioned all the fun I could have with a girl. Dress ups, baking cakes, playing with baby dolls, tea parties and princess dresses, etc., etc.  And, in a matter of seconds, tears instantly fell from my face and I said to myself, "I want a girl!"  The hormones didn't help of course, but I remember immediately feeling guilty. It was the first time I had ever said out loud or to myself that I wanted a girl. After all, how could I be so selfish to be so specific? I prayed and pleaded with God for eight long years to give me a baby, any baby. How could I possibly narrow it down to a girl now? 

Now I know that had it been a boy, we'd be just as crazy in love with him, and nothing would be different really. He would still be a miracle. He'd still be loved. And he's still be the most photographed baby in the universe! In fact, part of me is sad that I don't have a boy. It would be fun to have fun boy stories to share, and experience all the joy that boys are.  But, God gave us Nylah, and I am SO happy! He knew my heart, he knew my desires, and he listened to the silent cries of my soul. When the technician finally said, "It's a girl", tears welled up in my eyes and I went shopping immediately! :)

When we were stationed in Italy, I went through one of the loneliest times of my life. We saw a specialist over there who did not give much hope to us on having a baby, and instead wanted to make the process so much harder than necessary. Shortly after that, Allen deployed to Afghanistan and I was alone for 6 long months. In a foreign country. No family. Very few friends. And I remember saying to God, "This is not how I envisioned my life, God!" I was angry, frustrated...lonely.

One day while visiting a little Italian boutique store, just for the sake of it, I saw these cute little dolls made of beautiful, soft silicone. I thought, how fun to buy those for a little girl. Dare I imagine them for my own daughter one day? Would she like dolls? Would she like these?  Then, I briefly thought of my niece, but she was a brand new baby at the time. Needless to say, I ended of buying them and later kicking myself. For two years they sat, unopened in their boxes, up on a self in my closet. I honestly don't know what I was thinking buying them. They weren't even all that cute, and I came close to selling them a couple of times.
Maybe this was just more proof I wanted a girl. Maybe I was tired of walking by the toy store and never getting to buy something fun for my own child. Maybe I was tired of buying fun, cute things for everyone else's kids, and never my own. Whatever it was, I bought those dolls in a whim; in a desperate need to fill a hole. And, so they too sat waiting.

Then, fast forward to this weekend. We did a lot of Spring cleaning. Allen rented the Rug Doctor and we shampooed all the rugs in the house, including Nylah's room. After they dried, I attempted to put everything back in Nylah's room. Things got re-arranged and sorted. And for whatever reason, I thought about those two dolls, still boxed up in my closet. I thought, how cute they'd look up on her shelf. So, in the middle of cleaning and rearranging her room, I dragged the dolls out. And luckily for me, she loves dolls. As soon as she saw their faces peeking through the little window on the box, she repeatedly said, "Please! Please! Please!"  She wanted those babies! So, I unwrapped them and pulled them out for her. She'd point to their eyes, then their mouths, and say, "Baby!" After a few minutes, she was ready to move on and play with something else, so I placed them up on the shelf and will leave them there until she is ready to play with them again next time.

God knows our hearts, even before we can make sense of things ourselves. And it was a great reminder to see these dolls, and be reminded of my 'happily ever after'.

Sensory Bags

We aren't ones that like to stay home during the day, especially when the weather is good. So, imagine our frustration when Nylah picked up another bug and we had to stay home for a few days. It was nothing but runny noses, the same boring toys and constant whining.  Also, what's the deal with the term "Stay at Home Mom?" It just doesn't sit well with me for some reason. First of all, I do everything BUT stay at home. We like our play dates, our baby enrichment classes, our trips to the park, summer activities and so on and so on. We are not big fans of TV or staying home for long periods.  When I think of the term "Stay at Home Mom", that's exactly what I visualize: staying home, and that's it! I don't get any happy visuals with "stay at home mom."  If you ask me, we need to change it to "Work at Home Mom", because that's exactly what we do. We are always busy!

So, last night after I put Nylah to bed, I wanted to create a sensory play area for her; something different from her usual toys. Something challenging and fun since we were stuck at home. I've wanted to do sensory projects since she was little but never really did. So, I jumped on Pinterest and got a few ideas, then got to work. Most of it was done on a whim, but at least it was something different for her to wake up to this morning.

We have a little section of counter space where we had bar stools once upon a time, and I have been wanting to do something with that area for a while, since moving the stools out. So I decided to lay the sensory bags underneath and duct tape them to the floor. Up above them, I attached her flashcards so that we could practice our ABC's while pointing at the objects.  She loves that. We have flashcards hanging up all over the house, and she loves pointing to them and waiting for me to name them for her.

Daddy took her right over to it when she woke up, and she was very curious about it right away. She immediately started to crawl and walk all over them. Unfortunately, the two bags that had water in them didn't last long, which I figured. The blue bag leaked out all over her white pants and socks. Luckily for me, I didn't use regular dye like a lot of people do. I used the Crayola bath dropz, which washed out right away.  I may try double bagging them next time.  All the other bags were non-liquid and are standing strong.

In the first three bags are brown sugar, yellow water with caps, and blue water with cut up straws)

 In the last two bags are jelly beans and bath salts with yellow caps

I am definitely not a Pinterest mom, but over all I like how it turned out. I'll change up a few things for next time, and later on in the week the hubby might help me make a sensory board to hang in the hallway for her.