good evening,
Just wanted to let everyone know that I am home and recovering. They gave me more medication in the injection this time and it caused some yucky side effects. I am feeling better from those but I am really sore! Hopefully I will be better soon.
Danielle update: She is having some huge anxiety issues this week. I hope its not a medication side effect but we shall see. She hasnt been to school in 3 days because of this. So please continue to pray for her. Thank you!
Well I am off to bed now. Good night!
Jacki
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
A short & sweet update!!!
Good morning,
I thought that I would share with you all that today I am going to have steriod shots put in my shoulders today. It is definitely not pleasent but it helps over a period of time. I will be relying heavily on prayers and my husband to help me with everyday tasks. One thing I doubt he will do is update our blog...which is fine with me, it just means that it might be 3 days before I can lift my arms enough to type. So I will give you all a little update.....
Kevin and I are getting good reports from the therapist and family members about us having a peace about us and our kids. That is definitely what we are trying to accomplish. Ms. E. is also very proud of Danielle for her very controlled bouts of anger. That means that she still gets angry but she is able to better control herself. We see that as progress. Praise God!
Danielle and Rylie are playing a lot better together. They are sharing toys and books and mommy too. It is a much happier home these days and that makes me very happy! We are hoping for a stablized mood by the new year!
Well we have to start the day now! Have a blessed day!
Much love,
Jacki
I thought that I would share with you all that today I am going to have steriod shots put in my shoulders today. It is definitely not pleasent but it helps over a period of time. I will be relying heavily on prayers and my husband to help me with everyday tasks. One thing I doubt he will do is update our blog...which is fine with me, it just means that it might be 3 days before I can lift my arms enough to type. So I will give you all a little update.....
Kevin and I are getting good reports from the therapist and family members about us having a peace about us and our kids. That is definitely what we are trying to accomplish. Ms. E. is also very proud of Danielle for her very controlled bouts of anger. That means that she still gets angry but she is able to better control herself. We see that as progress. Praise God!
Danielle and Rylie are playing a lot better together. They are sharing toys and books and mommy too. It is a much happier home these days and that makes me very happy! We are hoping for a stablized mood by the new year!
Well we have to start the day now! Have a blessed day!
Much love,
Jacki
Monday, November 10, 2008
Guess what!!??
WE MADE IT THRU AN ENTIRE WEEKEND WITHOUT A RAGE!!!!
YES! WE actually went thru an entire weekend without a rage! I think that the medication might be working. There is a downside (the weight gain), but I think we will be able to control this with exercise and diet(I hope). Danielle is really proud of herself and so are we. We would like to thank everyone who has continued to pray for us too, because we know that God has answered these prayers!
On a yucky note: Rylie had a fever last night of 103.7 and she was taken to the ER at Summerville Medical. After 3 hours of waiting we found out that she has Hand, Foot and Mouth disease. The doctor said this is a viral illness and that it is really going around right now. He suggessted that we avoid shopping carts even if we use the covers ( unless I washed it after every use, which I dont. I wash it weekly with my laundry). He said a better bet would be to use our stroller as much as possible. She is feeling a lot better today and her fever is much lower but it was a scary night to say the least. We once again used the power of prayer last night and we believe that our prayers were answered. Her fever broke even when the doctors said it would probably take 2-3 days of being that high. Well it broke before we left and now its like 100.2 ish and has been all day! Praise God!
"Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven."
James 5:14-15 NLT
By the way, we love our new camera! We will post some new pics soon! We have just been so busy! That seems to be the story of our life these days!
Have a blessed day!
Much love,
Jacki & Kevin Smith
YES! WE actually went thru an entire weekend without a rage! I think that the medication might be working. There is a downside (the weight gain), but I think we will be able to control this with exercise and diet(I hope). Danielle is really proud of herself and so are we. We would like to thank everyone who has continued to pray for us too, because we know that God has answered these prayers!
On a yucky note: Rylie had a fever last night of 103.7 and she was taken to the ER at Summerville Medical. After 3 hours of waiting we found out that she has Hand, Foot and Mouth disease. The doctor said this is a viral illness and that it is really going around right now. He suggessted that we avoid shopping carts even if we use the covers ( unless I washed it after every use, which I dont. I wash it weekly with my laundry). He said a better bet would be to use our stroller as much as possible. She is feeling a lot better today and her fever is much lower but it was a scary night to say the least. We once again used the power of prayer last night and we believe that our prayers were answered. Her fever broke even when the doctors said it would probably take 2-3 days of being that high. Well it broke before we left and now its like 100.2 ish and has been all day! Praise God!
"Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven."
James 5:14-15 NLT
By the way, we love our new camera! We will post some new pics soon! We have just been so busy! That seems to be the story of our life these days!
Have a blessed day!
Much love,
Jacki & Kevin Smith
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Christmas in November???
Is it just me or is it looking like Chirstmas in November??? When I was at the mall today picking up my new camera(replacement for old one that darling 5 year old broke, thank goodness for protection plans!) there was Christmas stuff everywhere! The stores all had Christmas music playing already. They had that playing 2 days before Halloween. I mean people we havent even celebrated Thanksgiving yet! I, for one, like to enjoy the fall and Thanksgiving before I enjoy Christmas! I guess it's not such a bad thing, its just I feel like the stores are just pushing the holidays and there meanings to the way side. I have a lot to be thankful for and I dont want to be side tracked by all of the Christmas stuff. I enjoy Christmas too, but I want to enjoy Thanksgiving as well. Alright, enough of that.
Here's an update on the princess:
Well we made it through another week.Things are getting easier and I think Danielle is adjusting to her meds at a lower dose a lot better. We havent had a meltdown since tuesday afternoon and she attended school 3 days this week. That is a huge accomplishment for her. I cant wait until she will be attending 4 and 5 days all day! She needed to get picked up an hour early on Thursday and Friday but thats okay. She is trying!
Rylie update: I am convienced that Rylie should have been my boy! She is so silly! She is always in to everything! We have had to call poisen control at least 6 times since she turned 1 and that was only 4 months ago! She is starting to talk a lot! She learned her name and Danielle's this week and I think she might be saying "mine" in some funny way! She is still climbing on everything and the whole arching her back when she doesnt get her way thing isnt getting any better either. Dr Stadalsky says its totally normal but man it is scary when she smacks her head on the wood or tile floor! She is getting really tall too. I think they say she is in the 80% for height. She certainly doesnt get that from me! Over all though, she is doing awesome! Doing just what a 16 month old should be!
Kevin and Jacki: We are doing good too! We wish we had a little more alone time to spend with each other and with God but we are grateful for the little time that we do have! Our babies wont be little forever and we realize that we are lucky to have been choosen to parent them. We still have not found a church to attend yet which is making it hard to meet new people in the Summerville area but we feel like right now we should be spending this time with the kids and stablizing Danielle!
Well off to start dinner. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. We know that they have been working! Have a blessed weekend!
Much love,
Jacki & Kevin
Here's an update on the princess:
Well we made it through another week.Things are getting easier and I think Danielle is adjusting to her meds at a lower dose a lot better. We havent had a meltdown since tuesday afternoon and she attended school 3 days this week. That is a huge accomplishment for her. I cant wait until she will be attending 4 and 5 days all day! She needed to get picked up an hour early on Thursday and Friday but thats okay. She is trying!
Rylie update: I am convienced that Rylie should have been my boy! She is so silly! She is always in to everything! We have had to call poisen control at least 6 times since she turned 1 and that was only 4 months ago! She is starting to talk a lot! She learned her name and Danielle's this week and I think she might be saying "mine" in some funny way! She is still climbing on everything and the whole arching her back when she doesnt get her way thing isnt getting any better either. Dr Stadalsky says its totally normal but man it is scary when she smacks her head on the wood or tile floor! She is getting really tall too. I think they say she is in the 80% for height. She certainly doesnt get that from me! Over all though, she is doing awesome! Doing just what a 16 month old should be!
Kevin and Jacki: We are doing good too! We wish we had a little more alone time to spend with each other and with God but we are grateful for the little time that we do have! Our babies wont be little forever and we realize that we are lucky to have been choosen to parent them. We still have not found a church to attend yet which is making it hard to meet new people in the Summerville area but we feel like right now we should be spending this time with the kids and stablizing Danielle!
Well off to start dinner. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. We know that they have been working! Have a blessed weekend!
Much love,
Jacki & Kevin
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Medication issues...
Well my friends, Danielle has had a rough 2 days. Yesterday she was rushed to the ER around noon time for what they called a "Dystonic medication reaction". Yep. I am sure you are all wondering what that means. It basically means that her adverse reaction caused stiff muscles and a loss of consciousness. She was down for about 12 mins and then when she came too she had no idea what was going on. Her heart rate was in the 180's and she had some shallow breathing. They gave her some O2 and then we got into the ambulance where they hooked her up to everything else. When we got to the hospital they gave her some IV fluids and drew some blood and did a CT and an EKG all of which came back normal ( thank goodness ) They sent us home with the adverse reaction diagnosis and told us to follow up in the morning with her psychiatrist. We did and he feels like she would benefit from restarting the medication at a lower dose. When you consider the alternative to the medication, which is basically hell on earth, the benefits definitely outweigh the risks.
So tonight, against my wishes and better judgement I will restart the dreaded medication and pray that the Lord will keep her safe and that he will show us what the right thing is to do. I wish that I could approach this situation with hope and knowledge that whatever happens is Gods Will for her and for us. But for some reason that is not how I approach it. And it plain out sucks! I hate this for Danielle. I hate this for my marriage. I hate that Rylie can not do normal baby things because of the beatings that she has taken from Danielle. I hate that we cant even make to church for fear that Danielle will not want to be left with people that she doesnt know and that when we get home she will melt. I hate that my life revolves around Dr. appointments and therapy sessions, previewing and fighting with my family. I hate all of this. I really just want it all to go away!
I know that God must be giving me the strength to get through this because, maybe at the end of this struggle He will be Glorified. And after all isnt that what we are all supposed to do through the good times and bad???
So I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen.2 Timothy 2:10 NLT
Yes, and the Lord will deliver me from every evil attack and will bring me safely into his heavenly Kingdom. All glory to God forever and ever! Amen 2 Timothy 4:18 NLT
So after a very emotional day I am back to the trenches of my so called life. We do however what to thank everybody for their prayers and support. Keep them coming! If it weren't for those we probably would have no strength to handle any of this. We will keep everybody updated on the situation and of course all of the joyous things as well as they happen!
Have a wonderful day! Until next time,
much love jacki
So tonight, against my wishes and better judgement I will restart the dreaded medication and pray that the Lord will keep her safe and that he will show us what the right thing is to do. I wish that I could approach this situation with hope and knowledge that whatever happens is Gods Will for her and for us. But for some reason that is not how I approach it. And it plain out sucks! I hate this for Danielle. I hate this for my marriage. I hate that Rylie can not do normal baby things because of the beatings that she has taken from Danielle. I hate that we cant even make to church for fear that Danielle will not want to be left with people that she doesnt know and that when we get home she will melt. I hate that my life revolves around Dr. appointments and therapy sessions, previewing and fighting with my family. I hate all of this. I really just want it all to go away!
I know that God must be giving me the strength to get through this because, maybe at the end of this struggle He will be Glorified. And after all isnt that what we are all supposed to do through the good times and bad???
So I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen.2 Timothy 2:10 NLT
Yes, and the Lord will deliver me from every evil attack and will bring me safely into his heavenly Kingdom. All glory to God forever and ever! Amen 2 Timothy 4:18 NLT
So after a very emotional day I am back to the trenches of my so called life. We do however what to thank everybody for their prayers and support. Keep them coming! If it weren't for those we probably would have no strength to handle any of this. We will keep everybody updated on the situation and of course all of the joyous things as well as they happen!
Have a wonderful day! Until next time,
much love jacki
Monday, November 3, 2008
Not so quick family update...
Good evening friends and family,
Just a quick family update: We are doing better and better as the weeks go by. It's getting easier to swallow reality. I was just telling Kevin that I need to look up the stages of grief because I think that i might be in the angry part...i dont know though. I have these days where I am finding myself asking God why HE did this to my family. And why, especially when He knows the other health issues that we deal with daily, would He not heal one of us to make it easier for us to handle this awful diagnosis! I mean, I know that He didn't bless us with this evil disorder but because I am so alone in this battle with little or no armour I always feel vulnerable. And when I have no answers and I don't understand what in the world He is trying to teach me through all of this its just easier I guess to blame the ones you are closest to. And unfortunately for God its Him right now...I often wonder if my old job at the hospital was preparation for this time of my life. I met a lot of families who go through this type of loneliness daily, who often didn't visit(but would call) because they needed a break from the day-to-day, and the medical knowledge that I gained was tremendous. Well one day when I have time to think about my life and not always the ins and outs of Danielle's then I might just figure it out!
On a much lighter note we only had 2 meltdowns this week and that is awesome! Danielle has learned from therapy to recognize her angry feelings and do her 3min cool-down techniques when she feels like she is about to loose control. Since she has shown us a lot of effort in that area we decided to reward her with a movie nite! We all went to High School Musical 3 and it was awesome! Then we came home, had dinner together and read books before bedtime together. We rarely get to do that all as a family! For these days I am Thankful!
Also, Danielle has found a new baby to play with...her sister! Yep! She has been pushing Rylie around in her baby stroller and Rylie loves it! Now whenever Rylie sees the stroller she wants in. It is hilarious to watch! Rylie has a few new words now toothat we would like to share with you all...uh-oh, sissy, daddy-do, mine, kitty and doggy. I am going to post a video of her saying all of these things soon. It is just so cute!
Well anyway so much for quick update! I am off to put away the Laundry and then go to bed! Goodnight,
Jacki
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Wow it's already November!
Happy November! I cant believe that it is already November. That means that Thanksgiving is only 27 days away and Chirstmas is only 55 days away! Wow! It will be 2009 before we know it!
Family update: Well because we have had 2 bad weeks now, we have had to start the dreaded medication. It is an anti-psychotic. It has awful side affects including producing swollen breasts and lactation. We are just praying that she doesn't get that side affect. That is ridiculous! But because it is the one that has the most research done on it and it is approved by the FDA for use in children with aggression caused by conduct disorders we feel like it is a reasonable drug to use. So I feel a little better about this medication trial. However we dont think we will use the other medication, Lithium. I have seen the side affect of this medication working in Behavioral med at st. francis hospital. Basically we want Danielle to be happy and live the most normal life that she can and if that means a little medication then we will do what we need to do. So far she has tolerated the medication well. As for the rest of us we are all very tired. We are busy with all of her appointments and then of course life in itself is busy. The positive is that we have our family worship time in the car on the way to all of these appointments. We have had some awesome conversations in the car! Even Rylie is trying put in her 2 cents about what we are talking about with a shaking of her head. It is so cute. And when we have worship music on in the car, especially the kids mixs she will sing along(in baby talk, of course). It is cute to watch how much she look up to Danielle. If Danielle is raising her hands in praise then Rylie will do it too! I just love watching that interaction between them.
Other than all of that heavy stuff we have been doing good! We haven't been sick in 2 weeks and that is a wonderful blessing considering the stress we have been under this week! Praise God for our health! We have recently done some painting in our master bedroom...well it's finished being painted. The furniture, however is not finished. So we are still in the process of sanding down the previous finish and applying the new one. I will post some pics when it's complete!
As for Halloween: We went to a freinds house in Goose Creek and hung out there. I dressed the kids up as Minnie Mouse and A ladybug! They were adorable! We got some candy from a little bit of trick or treating but becasue it was way too cold to be out we just went to like 10 or so houses. It was fun but I am glad it is over. I am ready for Thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for!
I also want to thank all of those who have been praying for our family! We know that the prayers are helping. I cant explain the strength that we have had to deal with all of this and we know it comes from Him. So please keep them coming! :)
Have a great weekend,
Jacki
Family update: Well because we have had 2 bad weeks now, we have had to start the dreaded medication. It is an anti-psychotic. It has awful side affects including producing swollen breasts and lactation. We are just praying that she doesn't get that side affect. That is ridiculous! But because it is the one that has the most research done on it and it is approved by the FDA for use in children with aggression caused by conduct disorders we feel like it is a reasonable drug to use. So I feel a little better about this medication trial. However we dont think we will use the other medication, Lithium. I have seen the side affect of this medication working in Behavioral med at st. francis hospital. Basically we want Danielle to be happy and live the most normal life that she can and if that means a little medication then we will do what we need to do. So far she has tolerated the medication well. As for the rest of us we are all very tired. We are busy with all of her appointments and then of course life in itself is busy. The positive is that we have our family worship time in the car on the way to all of these appointments. We have had some awesome conversations in the car! Even Rylie is trying put in her 2 cents about what we are talking about with a shaking of her head. It is so cute. And when we have worship music on in the car, especially the kids mixs she will sing along(in baby talk, of course). It is cute to watch how much she look up to Danielle. If Danielle is raising her hands in praise then Rylie will do it too! I just love watching that interaction between them.
Other than all of that heavy stuff we have been doing good! We haven't been sick in 2 weeks and that is a wonderful blessing considering the stress we have been under this week! Praise God for our health! We have recently done some painting in our master bedroom...well it's finished being painted. The furniture, however is not finished. So we are still in the process of sanding down the previous finish and applying the new one. I will post some pics when it's complete!
As for Halloween: We went to a freinds house in Goose Creek and hung out there. I dressed the kids up as Minnie Mouse and A ladybug! They were adorable! We got some candy from a little bit of trick or treating but becasue it was way too cold to be out we just went to like 10 or so houses. It was fun but I am glad it is over. I am ready for Thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for!
I also want to thank all of those who have been praying for our family! We know that the prayers are helping. I cant explain the strength that we have had to deal with all of this and we know it comes from Him. So please keep them coming! :)
Have a great weekend,
Jacki
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