The Crab Chronicles

Obsessed, That's Me

Two days ago I had a freaky, Oh My God what's happening? kind of moment on my way home. I get on 75 heading south towards downtown and I notice there are no cars on 75 northbound. None. For miles. I am so startled. I drive and drive, and try not to wreck while I rubberneck over to the northbound lanes.Finally, I see a police barricade holding back the northbound traffic. It's a parking lot over there.

I call my friend Brian, who is an event planner and knows all. "The president is in town," he informs me. Then today, I perused my favorite news site, Oddly Enough [weird news and photos and funny captions, what's not to love?!] and found this: http://blogs.reuters.com/oddly-enough/2008/07/24/whered-you-get-the-turkey-leg-mr-president/. So the pres was here! I believed Brian, but the photo of W at Dobbins Air Force Base was still a teeny weeny bit thrilling. I work very near Dobbins.

It's almost as good as the day I ate lunch near Evander Holyfield. I walked right behind him coming back from the bathroom! He's not very tall. [No, I didn't follow him to the bathroom, I'm not that weird.]

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We had an interesting morning. Here's what I reported to my brother:

Since Mike had that bad episode last week where his arm was burning and he had to sleep with an ice pack, I wanted to get him in to see a specialist. Colleen arranged for us to see Dr. Allan Peljovich, over at Northside, who specializes in hands and lower extremities.

Dr. Peljovich was very nice, and very kind to Michael. He took an x-ray. There is no overgrowth of any size to warrant surgery and he likely will never need surgery – only about 5-10% of child amputees ever do. Dr. P said the pain occasionally and burning feelings occasionally were normal.

There is also some phantom pain and sensation in the missing hand and fingers, which Michael had never admitted to me before. Dr. P told Mike that’s totally normal and nothing to get freaked out about or worry about. He seemed relieved to hear that. He told me in the car later that the phantom feelings are sort of scary. Dr. P said the brain just doesn’t realize the hand is gone. I told Mike I had heard of that, about phantom pain in missing limbs, and it’s normal.

Dr. P also said to pay attention and when there is pain or burning or itching, to think carefully about what was happening a day or so before that, to try and know what actions to avoid. He said Mike can do anything he wants with the short arm, though, as long as it doesn’t hurt. That’s good because he uses it to get more power in his backhand when playing tennis. [There has been no pain or burning since he started playing tennis a lot, though.]

He didn’t think a followup visit was necessary. We can just go back if there is a big issue.

The only awkward time was when the nurse was taking the medical history. She asked me what information I have about his mother and father and I said I have none. I also don’t have any medical to speak of, except for some notes in Russian in a little booklet. She also asked me about the accident which caused the amputation – even though I had written out an explanation which was perfectly clear. I think with any new doctor we see from now on I am going to ask them to talk to me privately about the history. Michael looked really unhappy when she was asking me about it.

When we were going home in the car I told Mike he needs to help Alesia this afternoon to get the house straightened up before Lesleigh comes over, and he sighed and looked at me and said “Lesleigh is family. Why are you so OBSESSED with the house, Mom?!” LOL

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I wrote up a review of The Great Debaters and it's here:

http://deescribbler.typepad.com/flick_pages/

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I just read that the water advisory was canceled. Woo hoo!! We'll be drinkin' some H2O tonight!!

Seeking Help and Healing

I talked to Colleen, Michael's therapist, about the burning sensation he was having. [He is not still having it today.] She is going to try and get him an appointment with a specialist in upper extremity and hand issues. I never knew there was such a thing. I'm happy to hear it, though.

I found an article that explains what may be happening, and here's the link: http://www.amputee-coalition.org/inmotion/may_jun_06/congenital_part3.html. Scroll down to the sub topic How Often Will My Child Need a New Prosthesis. It talks about bone overgrowth, which is what I am fearing is happening with Michael.

It was kind of Colleen to reassure me that if Michael does have this, that the surgery to correct it is outpatient surgery. I was afraid it was going to be some long ordeal.

On a happier note, I ordered Michael an ice cream cake from Bruster's, and got him a balloon for his birthday. We finished wrapping the presents last night. I so hope he will have a happy birthday tomorrow. I am not trying to have a party. We are scheduled to go bowling with some friends, though. We are going out to lunch, too.

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We watched the movie Ordinary People [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordinary_People] last night. I remember seeing it when it came out in 1981 and being totally blown away by how realistic it was, and amazed at the performance of Timothy Hutton. It's the only really excellent film I could think of about a teenager seeing a psychologist or psychiatrist. I wanted to see what Alesia's reactions were to the film. She got very into it, probably because it's about a teenager. I did a quick google search just now and found where using this film as a teaching tool is not just my idea, it's been used by the American Psychiatric Foundation. http://ap.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/23/3/174

I wanted Alesia to care about the main character and watch as he heals with the help of a good therapist. Yes, it's a work of fiction, but it's also very realistic. It's easy to care about the characters.

Alesia always makes comments when she's watching a film, and they can be very telling. For instance, last night at one point the teenager had an emotional breakthrough and was sobbing and Alesia said softly "He needs a hug!" - and just then the psychiatrist hugged him. At another point she got very angry, because the mother in the film, brilliantly played by Mary Tyler Moore, is so cold and distant with her son.

I feel so strongly that movies are a fabulous way to teach kids without them knowing they are learning. I wanted Alesia to see how recalling the trauma would cause the boy to be able to process it and move forward. During the pivotal scene of that, I said softly, "See, he's finally able to remember and feel sad."

If nothing else, I hope it makes her think. Comparing her own past to what she saw, and empathizing with the boy, might help get her started on the road to recalling her feelings and processing them.

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As most of you know, I wear almost nothing on my feet but Crocs, the ugly but comfortable shoes which I fell in love with several years ago. They are the only shoes which feel good on my hobbit-like feet. I was absolutely delighted to see that Crocs fever has spread to the highest echelons of society. I think I will see if I can find a photo of McCain or Obama wearing Crocs - whoever wears them in public, that's who I'll vote for. LOL

Medical Issues

Yesterday was the medical problem day, and by the end I was exhausted.

Alesia came back from the pool on Wednesday with a horrible bloody place in the white of her eye. I looked it up on the computer and it’s called a something-or-other hematoma. Looks quite scary. However, it’s not serious. It’s like a bruise on the eye.

When Alesia got back from school yesterday she told Mother it was hurting, and the hematoma was spreading. So, I left work and took her to the eye doctor. She looked at the eye with that big light and reassured Alesia it’s just a hematoma, and said it will take a week or two to heal. She was very sweet to explain that. Alesia looked relieved.

I took both kids to get some frozen custard afterwards and Alesia wouldn’t take off her sunglasses. She looked like a celebrity in hiding.

We also ran by a little store in Tucker and bought a new bird feeder. We have an old tree stump in the back yard, and the aggressive squirrels knocked over the old bird feeder near the stump and broke it [the feeder, not the stump]. It was hanging from a shepherd’s crook, too. They climbed the crook like monkeys.

The funniest thing is that we have two corn plants growing below the bird feeder, where the corn I put out for the birds has dropped and sprouted. Mother said it won’t bear because it can’t cross pollinate, but it’s just funny looking out there and seeing it. If it does bear and the darn squirrels eat it, que sera sera. There’s another plant growing next to it that’s not a weed, but we can’t figure out what it is. That will be an interesting plant to watch, I imagine.

Towards the end of last night’s movie, Michael was cradling in the crook of his short arm the top of a prized china bowl that my mother got for a wedding present. It was odd looking, to say the least. Finally he admitted there was a painful burning sensation that was really bothering him, right near the amputation site. I got him an ice pack from the freezer for it. He had a hard tome going to sleep, even after I gave him Motrin.

 

The orthopedist told me when the bone in that amputated arm grows, Michael will experience agonizing pain and then quickly need surgery, to shave down the bone. It appears the bone may be growing. I am wondering about maybe some nerve damage causing the burning sensation. I don’t know what can be done, though. If the pain and burning continues today I may have to try and take him to the orthopedist we saw at CHOA who specializes in limb difference kids. He was a very nice man. I so dread Michael going to the hospital. He has a morbid fear of them. I pray we can avoid that.

 

It took two ice packs and Motrin to get Michael to sleep last night, then I couldn’t sleep for worrying about him. So I am wiped out tired today. 

 

Michael’s birthday is tomorrow. He will be 12 years old! Yikes.