Santa, Shopping, Christmas, a Broken Wrist and Something Funky…
December 31, 2008 | Updates
Wow, the last three weeks just flew by. I’m pretty sure it was because they were filled with work, shopping, outings, shopping, parties and, well, shopping. You know, even if you only bought like 3 presents for each person in our immediate family plus Christmas pajamas, you’d be up to like 28 presents and just coming up with ideas for that many presents is torture, much less actually going out and buying them all…and then there’s the extended family and friends and, well, I was pretty much Scrooge this year and still…SO MUCH SHOPPING!
BUT, it all worked out and we had a nice Christmas. (Well, except for the fact that the kids are out of school for 2 weeks, which I should love, but I don’t, because they all argue with each other 24/7 unless they’re playing video games, which isn’t good for them, and I’m really in a whinning while writing run-on-sentences mood, so I’ll just stop there.)
Samuel was a HAPPY boy for Christmas! That’s the best gift we could have gotten. Over the past 3 weeks, his smiles have increased a little each day and the past week or so, he has been so stinkin’ happy, I worry he might swallow himself with those big smiles. Santa was good to him, but even more so, our family was. Many in our family decided that this year instead of doing extended family gifts, they would donate that money to Samuel. We were really touched by it…REALLY touched. It seems that the less people have, the more generous they are. It’s certainly a tribute to the human spirit. And we are so grateful to have such wonderful people in our family. Thanks, guys! And to top it off, Nana, Papa, Grandma and Kaylee spoiled the heck out of him as well. Their visit was like Santa all over again!
(Here’s Samuel & Nathan a few days before Christmas watching TV together in matching PJ’s in Samuel bed.)
(And here he is opening presents the day after Christmas with Grandma.)
Santa had a good time teasing Ben this year (who thought for sure he was getting a lump of coal) by wrapping up a log with a note that said, “Ben, I have bad news about your gift this year. Because of the way you’ve been acting…” Of course there was an inside to the note, but Ben didn’t see it at first. When he did, the note concluded with, “your present was way too big to fit in the house and I had to leave it in the garage…bet you thought you were getting coal, huh?” Ben’s new bright orange bike was sitting in the garage - much to Ben’s relief.
So, there’s only a few other pieces of news. Tanner broke his wrist snowmobiling on Christmas Eve Day. He was in a cast for a week and now has a heavy duty 24/7 splint for the next 5 weeks. He broke a bone that doesn’t always heal very well, so he’s having to be really careful not to use it.
And, true to form, Nathan gave the cold he’s had for the last week to Samuel a few days ago. So, Samuel’s got a stuffy head and a cough. He’s still been happy, though, you can just tell he doesn’t feel quite right. He fell asleep in the tub this afternoon and I didn’t dare move him for an hour because he was so peaceful. But after an hour of watching him sleep in the bathtub, I finally got him out and got him dressed and he slept through all that as well. Hopefully, he’ll get better quick.
Last of all, there’s something funky going on with the catheter from Samuel’s baclofen pump. I noticed it 2 days ago and we’ll go to get x-rays of it next week sometime. But the site underneath his incision is swollen.
You can see the large bump on his back right on his spinal column. Right behind that is a raised curve that is the catheter from his pump underneath his skin. That catheter then feeds into his spinal column. And it is at that point where the raised bump is. Not sure what that means, but his doctor isn’t concerned as long as he is feeling well and we get it x-rayed next week. But here’s my theory…(and you have to realize this is the kind of stuff I obsess about because I can’t ask Samuel how he feels or what is bothering him - EVER - so realize I could be completely wrong in my hairbrained idea here. But I hope I’m right.)
So, what if, the catheter has come loose or is broken. Then that would mean Samuel isn’t getting his baclofen anymore. But that would mean he would be horribly upset and going through withdrawals and he is completely happy, right? And then I would have to refer you to the last stinkin’ 3 months where I have wanted to shoot myself (not really, but kind of) because he has been so HORRIBLY miserable. Could those have been withdrawals? He doesn’t get much of the medication each day - 90 teeny, tiny micrograms. That would equate to like 8 milligrams in the last 3 months. There are 30 milligrams in an ounce. So we’re talking like 1/4 of an ounce is all that would have leaked out over the past 3 months of living hell difficulty we’ve gone through. And that would be enough to make that little bump on his back.
Wow! Wouldn’t it be great if he was totally off the baclofen and we could just pull that pump out? (I’m not getting my hopes up, really, I’m not.) And I can only say “wouldn’t that be great” - NOW - that the withdrawals are over. But man, I would sure be happy if all that we went through ended up being for something good, ya know?
So, that’s it for now. It’s New Year’s Eve and we’re having a few friends over. Should be fun. I hope you all have a great time - especially you, mom! You know why!
Love you all,
The Jewkes
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December 31st, 2008 at 8:16 pm, Darlene Says:
Hey Jewkes:
Sounds like everyone had a nice Christmas. Sorry to hear about Tanner’s broken wrist. I hope it heals up quickly. That bump on his back would bother me. I was suprised that the doctor wasn’t even concerned about it. It’s all very possible that you could be right about the pump being the cause. I think the pic of Nathan/Samuel is just adorable. I did get my wish finally for a new job, I start a few days after the new year. So I like to wish all the Jewkes’s A Happy New Year filled with much health and happiness in 2009!
January 1st, 2009 at 8:02 am, Sharon Jewkes Says:
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO THE JEWKES FAMILY! Loved the smiling photo of Samuel and Nathan. So happy tht he is feeling better and has lots of smiles. That’s the greatest gift of all. I hope you solve his swelling in his back problem. Your theory sounds logical. Tell Tanner to take care of his wrist. That is no fun to be unable to use your hand. Been there and done that! We send our love to all of you. Creig and Sharon
January 1st, 2009 at 7:32 pm, Tiffanie Says:
I really hope you’re right about the pump not working. That would be really awesome! I’m glad you had a great Christmas. I hope Tanner gets better quick. Love you!
January 8th, 2009 at 8:40 am, Cindy Says:
What is the latest on Samuels back?
Praying for him…
March 6th, 2010 at 11:31 pm, Christie Says:
I know this sounds crazy, but I was just wondering if they ever figured out what the bump on his spine was? My daughter has a pump and has the bump as well. The doctors say they have never seen this before and did surgery this week to check to see if the pump was leaking. It was not…they are assuming it is spinal fluid. She has been in a lot of pain and her back even pops from time to time in that area. If you have any information…please let me know!!!