I woke up yesterday morning feeling fine--went through the usual morning routine with the girls, then produced a bounce-friendly fort out of Chaz's and my queen sized bed so the kids could play while I cleaned up our bedroom, which was way, way long overdue. After reorganizing drawers, rehanging clothes and getting all the clean laundry put away, I was exhausted. I counted down the minutes until I could put the girls down for a nap. Thank God they seemed to pick up on the fact that I wasn't feeling too hot because they were both very well-behaved for the rest of the morning and went down for naps without a peep.
Chaz arrived home to find me buried under a mountain of blankets on the couch, freezing and fatigued. Let me just say that there are distinct pros and cons to living in a house made out of concrete. One of the cons is that it's nearly impossible to effectively insulate. So when it's really really cold outside, it's pretty damn cold in the house, even with the heater on--this is normally more than endurable. When you are having cold chills, however, due to the flu, or possibly the flu, or just simply feeling like $#!&, well....it sucks.
The rest of the day was spent in twenty minute catnaps, followed by cantaloupe for dinner, barely staying awake through Glee from eight to nine and then out like a light by about 9:08. Chaz was the most amazing husband--he made me dinner aka cut up the cantaloupe, he let me watch Glee (which NEVER happens) and he put the girls to bed so that I could rest. I love that man, again, in case you weren't aware.
This morning I managed to crawl out of bed and make myself decent enough to take Daphnie to a doctor's appointment. For those who aren't aware of all the details, the muscles on Daphnie's left side are underdeveloped and weak, especially in her hip and shoulder joints, which has led to her having a 4-5 month delay in development. This is why at ten months old she is now just getting the hang of sitting up on her own and is nowhere near crawling, pulling herself to her feet using the help of a couch, bench, knee, etc, or standing on her own. To rectify this, she is going through weekly physical therapy, which is going really well. We are already seeing improvement. Anyway, one of the things/exercises the PT has given us to do with Daphnie is to stretch out the left side of her neck, by gently pulling her head and left shoulder apart. Daphnie is in no way, shape or form a fan of this exercise. She HATES it. Alas, it has to be done. Try explaining "for the greater good" to a ten month old....
Daphnie, when she's not cranky about having her neck stretched...
So, Wednesday I was doing this stretch with her and noticed that what appeared to be a major blood vessel was popping pretty close to the surface while I would do this stretch and that there was what might be described as a knot in the vessel. I could see it pop up and I could feel it. Not wanting to be overly concerned, I did the same stretch on the right side of her neck. Nothing. I then called Aubrey over and stretched her neck out on both sides. Nothing. Still worried that I might be crazy, I called my mother over to look at it, because between her education, my education and her work experience, we have a pretty good handle on basic anatomy and physiology. She agreed that it was not normal and if I was worried, I should call the doctor. So I did.
Which brings us back to this morning, where I managed to crawl out of bed and escort Daphnie to the doctor's office. Chaz, being the amazing husband he truly is, managed to switch shifts so he could stay at home with Aubrey, because there was no way I was going to be able to wrangle both kids, at the doctor's office, while having the flu, or possibly the flu, or just simply feeling like $#!&.
Turns out, Daphnie has a slightly overlarge vein running through that part of her neck and the knot I was seeing in the vessel is one of the venous valves.
**Quick anatomy lesson for anyone who cares (if you don't, skip past the italicized part): You have two major types of blood vessels, arteries and veins. Arteries are what carry blood FROM the heart TO your body--the blood flows because the heart is pumping. Veins are what carry blood FROM the body back TO the heart--there is no pumping of the heart to make the blood flow through the veins. So veins have valves that open and close, basically acting as mini-pumps, forcing the blood back to your heart. This pumping action of the valves is for the most part created by muscle contractions. That's why you get such good blood flow when you're working out, but if you sit all day long, every day, you are at risk of your blood pooling in your legs. Ok, end of lesson.**
As I said, Daphnie doesn't like having this stretch done, so when we try to do it, she gets angry and tenses up. All the muscles in her neck go rigid, and this valve in her neck, which is now closed because she is tensing, is keeping the blood blocked in that spot. When she relaxes, the valve opens, blood flow is restored and the huge blue knot in her neck disappears. So, while it may look very freaky, the good news is there is nothing else (so far) medically wrong with my daughter.
This sense of relief was enough to get me home before I crashed. The nausea hit--thank God it has stayed at nausea and not turned into the usual result of nausea--as did the exhaustion. Chaz had made lunch and some of the seasonings turned my stomach. I always feel horrible when Chaz cooks and I can't eat whatever he's made, because I appreciate so much when he does it for me. But I could not eat the vegetables covered in lemon pepper seasoning. Just wasn't happening.
My parents, being the wonderful people they are, consented to keeping Aubrey overnight because I'm not positive that she got a flu shot this year, and the last thing any of us needs is a flu-ridden two-year-old. Plus, my parents know that the one thing that works for me when I'm sick is rest. Rest does not come easily when you have an overly energetic toddler who cannot comprehend what being sick means or needing rest means. So Aubrey is currently cuddled up on her special cot that stays at Grandma & Grandpa's, with her blanket and stuffed dog, no doubt. I hope she is sleeping soundly, for my parents' sake.
Daphnie, who has had a flu shot and is tremendously easier to take care of at the tender age of ten months, got the privilege of staying home with me. She was very accommodating by taking a three hour nap from two to five, thereby allowing me to do the same. Since then she has remained content with the occasional bottle and clean diaper, surrounded by toys on the couch, while I have up until now remained cuddled up under a thick blanket on the awesome double-barreled queen size air mattress we own. We are now eagerly awaiting the homecoming of husband and daddy.
Two days of being sick is not fun. I remember being a kid and while the actual being sick part of being sick wasn't fun, the getting to lay on the couch surrounded by books and stuffed animals and favorite movies/tv shows and pretending one was on a deserted island certainly was. The couch is no longer a deserted island. It's simply a germ-infested, lumpy piece of furniture. My kitchen is now filled with dirty dishes, the laundry is starting to get backed up again, the floor is covered in dog hair. So basically, everything's back to normal.
I guess this is part of the day-by-day thing. There are some days that are gonna suck. There will be flu-ridden days, and baby spit-up days and mommy, I peed my pants days and I'm too tired to give a $#!& days. I'm learning to take those days with the good ones and to appreciate the good days more because as Mama said, "There'll be days like this." I can't avoid them. I can just make it through and tackle tomorrow as it comes.
Until next time...
Sorry, you are feeling bad. The vein you speak of, must be a Robertson thing. Charles had one, or at least you use to be able to see it. Hope you feel better soon.
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