A health update.

You may remember the health problems my husband had because he wouldn't go to the doctor insisted he was fine.

We met with the surgeon on Monday. He's a hernia specialist with 30 years of experience. He has declared my husband's diaphragm whole and intact, no surgery needed! Unfortunately, the diagnosis is a rib fracture. I say unfortunately, because there isn't much you can do for a rib fracture except wait for it to heal.

Husband dear has been put on light duty for work. However, his work won't let him have light duty so he's home, at least until he Monday when he will try to convince his regular doctor to give him clearance for regular duty, then he'll go to work and slave drive his helpers.

So, he went to my doctor's appointment with me yesterday, which was good because it took 4 HOURS and I would have been there with all the littlies. This appointment was much better than the last one - I saw my "real" doctor - and let her know what happened with the last one. She told me to definitely keep checking my blood sugars and to come every week. Then I had a non-stress test and an ultrasound. Baby is still a boy and they estimate him at 6 lbs. 9 oz. I got hives on Monday (hmm... maybe from stress?) and Benadryl just knocks me flat. My doctor told me to take Zantac for hives - a non-drowsy antihistamine. Yeah, Zantac, the one for ulcers and acid reflux. It works, too (not as well as the Benadryl, but good enough!)

Then Mr. R started complaining about his ears - there was also a note on Monday from his teachers saying he'd been complaining of ear pain. Two nights of my old reliable home remedy (pour peroxide in, say the alphabet (about 20 seconds), then use garlic oil and plug with cotton for the night) and he's cured now, though! Another plus, because I can't even begin to imagine the horror of trying to get him to take antibiotics (not to mention, they don't make them in a dye free form). So far this home remedy has worked on three different children, and we've never been on antibiotics for ear infections, so I think there is really something to it!

BTW, I make my own garlic oil with olive oil and 3 or 4 smashed up cloves (skins and all). Heat over a double boiler ( I put a smallish saucepan in a bigger saucepan filled with water) for an hour, then strain out the garlic (I use a coffee filter). The key is to start out with cold, not hot oil. If you heat the oil first and then drop in the garlic, you'll end up with fried garlic.

Thank goodness our taxes came in a couple of weeks ago!

Labels: Family Life