Good News, Bad News

This week has been something...I never thought I'd have to process so much information all at once.  Ironically,  I've had a stuffy nose too...like my body is confirming what my head is feeling.  I've had one good cry, one major yelling session at the kids (which I apologized for right afterwards), and many moments of hearfelt prayers. 

Where should I start?

I guess I'll start with Christina.

The bad news is, 3 weeks ago, she started wheezing.  The school called me...I had to go pick her up, take her to the pediatrician, and she ordered breathing treatments for a week.  Christina responded very well, and hasn't wheezed since.  But I knew it was time to take her to an allergist and have her tested.  We already knew Christina was very allergic to cats, and probably dogs too. 

They pricked the skin on her back in 23 places...and of course, she broke out with big welts for cats and dogs, plus a few very small welts for different grasses.  But the big surprise was dust mites...her welts were SO big, Dr. F called in all the nurses to come and have a look.  Poor Christina squirmed and cried for 1/2 of the 15 minutes she had to lie still, but she was braver than I though she'd be. 

The good news is, we can treat Christina's allergy with medication, and a LOT of precautionary measures, especially in her room.  I still have to clean her room from top to bottom to eliminate as much dust as possible, and buy encasements for the girls' pillows and mattresses (since she's in a bunk bed with Rebecca).  I only cried at one point when I was talking to David about everything we needed to do...it really seemed overwhelming at first.  But deep breath...and one step at a time, right?

Then another thing happened the same day.

We were on our way to swim lessons.  The brakes on the van had been squealing just a little bit all day.  As I pulled out of the driveway, they squealed so bad, I stopped.  I had 4 kids in the car, and was worried about the possibility of not having working brakes.  I decided to drive to the end of the block to see what would happen...and the engine light came on.  Well, that's never a good thing.  So we turned around and went home.  I called the swim place and told them we weren't going to make it, then called David and told him he would have to make emergency repairs on the van. 

The good news is my hubby is very, very handy.  He came home early, stopping at the auto parts store on the way, and was able to change out the brake pads in just over an hour, and even rotated the 2 fronts tires in the process.  A quick wash and change of clothes, and we made it to the church's Mardi Gras potluck, just in time for us to grab a table, and get in line for the buffet.  Kids had a ball, and had at least 2 desserts each (well okay, we did too!).

But another not so great thing was yet to come! 

Once we got home from the church, we put the kids to bed, and I started to head out to the drugstore to pick up Christina's prescriptions.  Only I couldn't find my keys.  David helped me look, but after looking everywhere we though possible, David took his keys and went to Walgreens to get the meds.  I was a mess, it had been such a long day.  I was exhausted, and decided to just go to bed. 

It's been 3 days...and we still haven't found the keys.  I offered the kids $5 to whoever found them....David upped the prize to $20.  But no keys...St. Anthony, pray for us!

The good news is...we do have a spare set of keys to the house and van.  We've decided to wait a couple of weeks to see if the keys turn up before we spend the money to get a new set made.  Prayers would be appreciated!

And the last thing...

Today, I went for a follow-up with my doctor about my Hepatitis B status.  I inherited chronic Hepatitis B from my mother...it's fairly common among Asian populations. 

The bad news is there's no cure.  Once you have it, you have it for life. 

Most people are classified as "carriers," and don't have any noticable symptoms.  Thankfully, I'm in that catagory...I've never had any symptoms, and don't have to take any medicine.  The kids are not carriers because they now have a Hepatits B vaccine which they receive right after birth. 

However, other close family members who are Hepatitis B carriers have developed symptoms, and are currently taking meds.  Because of this family history, I knew I needed to have a full work-up done, since I haven't had any tests in nearly 10 years. 

So the good news is...all my test results came back normal.  Liver functions were good, abdominal ultrasound showed no scarring on my liver, and all the bloodwork was fine except for one.  The Hep B viral load was very high...but that is typical for a person like me.  I have to have more labs drawn in 3 months and Dr. C wants to see me in 6 months.  He wants to see if one particular test result stays the same or fluctuates.  If it remains steady, I will not need to go on medication, if it goes up, I probably will have to start treament for the viral load.  If my viral load goes too high, I can develop acute hepatitis...which of course would not be ideal. 

Sigh...and Dr. C said he would not recommend having any more kids, because immediate family members are presenting symptoms, and it's just a matter of time until I do, no matter how well I take care of myself.  My risk of symptoms also increases as I get older.  I guess I expected that...but it was sad to hear.  I admit David and I were not thinking about having any more children...but a part of me still longs to hold a baby again.

I think that's everything...this week has been a true roller coaster ride...and I feel like I'm still hanging on, waiting for the ride to end.  So much to think about...decisions to be made, medicines to take.  Someone let me know when the ride is over!

But...I am thankful...thankful beyond words.  When the ride is the roughest, that's when your faith is truly tested.  And on this ride, the good outweighed the bad. 

UPDATE:  We found the car keys!  Actually Rebecca found them in the back seat of the truck, stuck in between the seat cushion and the booster seat we use for Gabriel.  Of course, she hadn't forgotten about the $20 reward. :-) But we decided it would be fair if she got $10, and Joshua and Christina got $5 each, since they'd helped looked when the keys first disappeared.  Thank you St. Anthony and St. Jude!