Any Lucky Penny Will Do Fine.
Oct. 14th, 2014 09:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dodger_sisterMy little nieces are having a bad run of things. To put it mildly.
The Canadian Niece - as you may remember - was diagnosed last year with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, which is what I had/have. It took a few months to find the right med combo and a few more to get her off the steroids - thankfully, because the later-in-life effects from those can be merciless. So that is going pretty well. But as often happens with JRA, she is having eye problems. When you have inflammation in your joints, you can often get it in your eyes too. Her inflammation was so bad that it was causing everything in her eyes to swell up and stick together and they couldn’t get the swelling down enough to separate all the inner workings of her eyes. It was highly risky that she might lose her eyesight. They managed to get the swelling down just enough, but last week my brother called to say that they found a cataract that was causing her to be almost completely blind in one eye, and a cataract just starting to grow in the other eye. (She is so upset that she can’t see well enough to do her puzzles.) I had cataracts as a child as well and they had to take my lens off, remove the cataract and then I had to wear contacts. So will TCN, at least until she is done growing and can have a permanent lens implanted. Problem at the moment is that her inflammation in the eye is still too high for them to actually do any surgery. First they have to get the swelling down and then remove the cataract and hopefully stop the other one in its tracks.
All in all, worrisome for TCN’s future vision, plus a hell of a lot for a kid to go through when she doesn’t really even understand it, at not-quite-5 years old.
Then today my little brother called. Last week he was telling me how they had to remove everything from The Niece’s - 1 1/2 now - walls and shelves in her bedroom because she ‘has gone vertical’. They always used to call The Nephew ‘Monkey’ because they thought he was a climber, but apparently they had no idea. So today they had a pot of coffee and they put it up on the highest spot in the kitchen, but they turned their back for a second and she scaled the kitchen cupboards and pulled the pot of piping hot coffee down on herself. My brother immediately stripped her, put her in a bath of warm water and then noticed that blisters were already forming. So he rubbed antibiotic cream all over her, wrapped her in gauze - (both arms and her forehead/head) and rushed her to the ER. They had to scrub-brush off the top layer of skin and for some reason they didn’t use pain meds - my brother was pissed about this - and the poor sweetie screamed through the whole procedure. Now she has to go in every day and have her bandages redressed and inspected, until at least Saturday, when they will reevaluate. Plus she has to stay quiet, calm and hydrated, which is not easy with a kid that young and means she will have to be kept away from her brother, because she thinks he is a human jungle gym. The doctor has said there will be some permanent scarring, especially on her one arm, but they are doing everything they can to minimize it.
When The Nephew got home from school and saw her injuries and heard what had happened, he burst into hysterical tears and couldn’t stop crying. He takes his job to protect his little sister very seriously, the little man. My sister already had tomorrow off, as a special day to treat herself, but has since decided to drive out there to visit The Niece and take her a care package of quiet activities to do.
Both my girls could use some good wishes, maybe a Luck Dragon, right about now.
The Canadian Niece - as you may remember - was diagnosed last year with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, which is what I had/have. It took a few months to find the right med combo and a few more to get her off the steroids - thankfully, because the later-in-life effects from those can be merciless. So that is going pretty well. But as often happens with JRA, she is having eye problems. When you have inflammation in your joints, you can often get it in your eyes too. Her inflammation was so bad that it was causing everything in her eyes to swell up and stick together and they couldn’t get the swelling down enough to separate all the inner workings of her eyes. It was highly risky that she might lose her eyesight. They managed to get the swelling down just enough, but last week my brother called to say that they found a cataract that was causing her to be almost completely blind in one eye, and a cataract just starting to grow in the other eye. (She is so upset that she can’t see well enough to do her puzzles.) I had cataracts as a child as well and they had to take my lens off, remove the cataract and then I had to wear contacts. So will TCN, at least until she is done growing and can have a permanent lens implanted. Problem at the moment is that her inflammation in the eye is still too high for them to actually do any surgery. First they have to get the swelling down and then remove the cataract and hopefully stop the other one in its tracks.
All in all, worrisome for TCN’s future vision, plus a hell of a lot for a kid to go through when she doesn’t really even understand it, at not-quite-5 years old.
Then today my little brother called. Last week he was telling me how they had to remove everything from The Niece’s - 1 1/2 now - walls and shelves in her bedroom because she ‘has gone vertical’. They always used to call The Nephew ‘Monkey’ because they thought he was a climber, but apparently they had no idea. So today they had a pot of coffee and they put it up on the highest spot in the kitchen, but they turned their back for a second and she scaled the kitchen cupboards and pulled the pot of piping hot coffee down on herself. My brother immediately stripped her, put her in a bath of warm water and then noticed that blisters were already forming. So he rubbed antibiotic cream all over her, wrapped her in gauze - (both arms and her forehead/head) and rushed her to the ER. They had to scrub-brush off the top layer of skin and for some reason they didn’t use pain meds - my brother was pissed about this - and the poor sweetie screamed through the whole procedure. Now she has to go in every day and have her bandages redressed and inspected, until at least Saturday, when they will reevaluate. Plus she has to stay quiet, calm and hydrated, which is not easy with a kid that young and means she will have to be kept away from her brother, because she thinks he is a human jungle gym. The doctor has said there will be some permanent scarring, especially on her one arm, but they are doing everything they can to minimize it.
When The Nephew got home from school and saw her injuries and heard what had happened, he burst into hysterical tears and couldn’t stop crying. He takes his job to protect his little sister very seriously, the little man. My sister already had tomorrow off, as a special day to treat herself, but has since decided to drive out there to visit The Niece and take her a care package of quiet activities to do.
Both my girls could use some good wishes, maybe a Luck Dragon, right about now.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2014-10-15 01:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-10-16 08:54 pm (UTC)Thank you, darling. (and thank you Pip!) The littlest niece is doing fairly well with the burns, they managed to remove all of the bandages except for the one arm, so that is good news. Will be awhile before we can gauge the long term issues with that arm. I have to check in with The Canadians this weekend and see what the prognoses is for TCN's eyes.
/hugs back/
no subject
Date: 2014-10-15 02:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-10-16 08:56 pm (UTC)Thank you, babe. J saw the little one yesterday and says she seems to be doing good. J brought her a bunch of activities to do and all The Niece wanted was to play with J's phone, so...yeah, right on target there. ;) Still no news on the Canadian front.
no subject
Date: 2014-10-15 03:22 am (UTC)And the people at that hospital should be shot for not giving your other niece any kind of pain killers. I can't even imagine how hideously painful having a layer of burned skin scrubbed off would be.
How on earth could a one-and-a-half-year-old climb like that? It's astounding. The daughter of a friend of mine grabbed the handle of a boiling pot on the stove and was severely burned all across her chest, stomach and arms when she was three. She's 30 now and has almost no scaring because she was young enough that she was able to grow new skin. She still required plastic surgery and skin grafts though when she was older.
I will certainly hope for the best...the VERY best...outcome for both girls.
no subject
Date: 2014-10-16 09:01 pm (UTC)OMG! What a horrible disease for a five-year-old to suffer through. And especially, as you said, when she's not old enough to really understand what's happening.
On the upside, I remember with myself at that age that I didn't understand what was happening, so I wasn't really able to get worried or stressed about it. I didn't realize that I was sick or had anything wrong that other people didn't have until I was about 7 and I am crossing my fingers that she will have everything under control by then. xxx
And the people at that hospital should be shot for not giving your other niece any kind of pain killers. I can't even imagine how hideously painful having a layer of burned skin scrubbed off would be.
I was pretty pissed, yeah. Since then though her pain has been manageable, so that's a plus.
How on earth could a one-and-a-half-year-old climb like that? It's astounding.
Isn't it? Last week, when they had to pull everythng off her walls, it was because she scaled an adult sized dresser and was standing on it reaching for the nightlight on the wall, then climbed back down with the night light in hand. She's a trapeze artist or something!
The daughter of a friend of mine grabbed the handle of a boiling pot on the stove and was severely burned all across her chest, stomach and arms when she was three. She's 30 now and has almost no scaring because she was young enough that she was able to grow new skin. She still required plastic surgery and skin grafts though when she was older.
Yeah, I am hoping her young age will prove useful in the scarring department as she grows.
I will certainly hope for the best...the VERY best...outcome for both girls.</i. Thank you, darling. <3
no subject
Date: 2014-10-15 03:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-10-16 09:03 pm (UTC)Thank you, darling. These are all things that will definitely help! <3
What a disgrace not to give the little one pain relief.
Yeah, absolutely. Thankfully, since then, her pain levels have been manageable. It's been keeping her calm that has been the issue!
no subject
Date: 2014-10-15 03:55 am (UTC)hugs and healing prayers to them. you hang in there to, hugs
no subject
Date: 2014-10-16 09:05 pm (UTC)Thank you, babe. I appreciate it. Things are looking up for the little one so far. Will know more next week.
you hang in there to, hugs
I'm working on it! (some stuff with The BFF and her family have also been stressful this week, but I'm back at physical therapy after two weeks off, so at least there will be someone to work out those stress knots for me).
no subject
Date: 2014-10-15 04:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-10-16 09:07 pm (UTC)Thank you, darling. My family just has the worst health issues - though I suppose that's not to blame for the hot coffee. The little one is doing better than expected, thankfully. No news yet from the Canadian family, may be awhile. Thanks for the support.
no subject
Date: 2014-10-15 11:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-10-16 09:16 pm (UTC)Agreed. But at least she doesn't understand it, so she can't stress about the possible future. She just really wants to be able to do her puzzles. Even at 5, there are things you would miss horrendously if you had to change your whole lifestyle for blindness.
My heart goes out to her, and to the niece as well. Your brother did everything right, and it sucks that it wasn't enough.
My brother has always been smart about these kinds of things. You should have heard the lecture he gave me after my terrible sunburn this year, about how I did everything wrong and then instructing me on what to do next. lol Maybe it's the years on a construction site, but he knows how to treat an injury.
Hopefully your sister's visit will make a difference.
Well, I think it helped make her feel better. And my brother and S-I-L. The Niece just wanted to play with my sister's phone the whole time. lol I guess that's a sign she's feeling better!
Thanks, babe.
no subject
Date: 2014-10-17 01:10 am (UTC)Erm... at least someone's feeling better, then? :)
I really hope both situations get GOOD news soon.
no subject
Date: 2014-10-15 08:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-10-16 09:17 pm (UTC)Thank you. /hugs back/ It is all pretty upsetting news to get, but the little one does seem to be doing better. Hopefully we'll get some news on The Canadian Niece soon. <3
no subject
Date: 2014-10-15 09:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-10-16 09:20 pm (UTC)Omg, that's terrible! Up through his gums? /shudder/ I think we all have some horrid story about our siblings getting one on us, but not quite that bad, I hope.
At least TCN doesn't understand that she could go blind or even understand what that means yet. Her parents, otoh, are quite stressed out.
The little one is doing better, good update from the doctor yesterday, so that's one step in the right direction.
<3
no subject
Date: 2014-10-16 06:01 am (UTC)That is really bad news about both those girls.
If there is anything you can think of that I could do for them, please let me know.
no subject
Date: 2014-10-16 09:23 pm (UTC)It's been a week for my family, for sure.
If there is anything you can think of that I could do for them, please let me know.
Thank you, bb. I can't think of anything atm, but I'll keep you in mind. My sister went to see the little one yesterday and took her a giant bag of 'quiet time activities' to do. Of course, then the little one only wanted to play with my sister's phone. Typical. ;) She, at least, is getting good progress reports from the doctor. No news yet on TCN.
no subject
Date: 2014-10-16 11:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-10-16 09:24 pm (UTC)Thank you, babe. It's been a rough week for family news so far, but on the upside, the little one has been getting good reports from the doctor this week during her wound dressings - things look like they are healing up quite well. <3
no subject
Date: 2014-10-19 01:51 pm (UTC)scanning the comments I see things are getting better, thank the little gods. I hope the trend continues and nothing worse happens! *knocks on wood*
no subject
Date: 2014-10-20 06:36 pm (UTC)Thank you, babe. It was a lot of bad news for my family all at once.
scanning the comments I see things are getting better, thank the little gods. I hope the trend continues and nothing worse happens! *knocks on wood*
The Niece is doing much better, yes. The doctors are surprised at how fast she is healing, but the one arm will still def have some scarring. The Canadian Niece is not doing any better yet on the new meds for the inflammation, but this is a thing that will take time and at least she isn't doing any worse. /knocks on virtual wood as well./