Seems that our family has been pretty healthy for a long time now. But when one of us needs the doctor for something, it seems like someone else just has to follow, and then someone else . . .
Alyssa has been congested for a long time now and the doctor had referred her to see a pediatrician about it. The appointment was this week and it seems they may have found the reason. When she was about two weeks old she got a really bad cold, and her runny/stuffy nose has continued since then. The doctor seems to think that she has a bacteria or super-bug that won't kill off entirely. So she's trying a round of antibiotics to help kill off the bacteria and hopefully this will fix the problem. She's also going back on milk-based formula so we can see for sure if it's allergies or not. Her follow-up is in two weeks with the pediatrician.
Elayna's first round of antibiotics for the fluid behind her eardrums did absolutely nothing. So they put her on a second round of stronger antibiotics and I've also been taking her to the chiropractor to see if that would help. Let me just say that I love our chiropractor. When Chantel used to get ear infections all the time, I finally took her to the chiropractor to see if it would help. Well, after a couple weeks of treatments, she hasn't had an ear infection since (that's a year and a half ago). I also took Alyssa over the past couple months when she's especially stuffed up - and the change over the next few days (everything draining at once) is very noticeable and she's usually sleeping better within a day. So now I've been taking Elayna - he's found a couple spots in her back and neck for adjusting and he puts a cold ease cream on her neck to help him rub the tubes for her ears to help them drain. Elayna is usually giggling throughout the adjustments and neck massaging - she's a very ticklish little girl. Our family doctor was expecting no change in her ears with the latest round of antibiotics and had warned me that she was on her way to an ear surgeon for tubes. But he was suprised to see a drastic improvement at the last appointment - her right ear is almost back to normal and her left is a lot better. So now he wants us to continue with antibiotics and the chiropractor for two more weeks before he decides if it worked or not (thankfully we have extended benefits that cover all these visits and prescriptions).
I also went to see a doctor this morning at the walk-in. It seems I have one very swollen tonsil. No sore throat, just a little achy and a headache - and a really ugly tonsil. They swabbed for strep and confirmed that it's just the tonsil and there's no absess or anything. I don't have any history of tonsilitis or swollen tonsils in the past so it's probably just a virus causing it. Hopefully it will be better within the next week.
Update: the next day I went to a walk-in clinic again. I was getting chills and feeling achy and was pretty sure this meant I was fighting an infection. The doctor took one look and said my throat was all infected. I was prescribed antibiotics, a numbing liquid to gargle (cause the swollen tonsil is so painful), lots of rest, and advil. And not to be outdone by all us girls, Brad has had his share of medical worries this week - and probably the worst out of all of us. He cut his hand at work on Thursday and had to go to the hospital to get three stitches. It's healing very nicely, he's just having a hard time keeping it dry. And he also has had some abdominal pain off and on and is thinking that it's a hernia again. He had his appendix taken out as a teenager, and a hernia on the opposite side repaired in 2000 - so he's thinking that there might be another surgery in his future. He sees the doctor on Monday to see what's going on.
Update: the doctor on Monday confirmed the hernia and is referring Brad to a surgeon to discuss if he should be operated on or not.So our only healthy kid seems to be Chantel. I guess she's making up for all her ear infections and doctors appointments when she was younger. But she is very jelous of her sisters' medicines and very badly wants some too. Hopefully her wish won't come true.
This morning we went to our regular bible study/story hour but since it's the last one before Christmas, we had a bit of a party instead. The kids made candy cane's with eyes and antlers, colored some pictures, ate a LOT, and decorated gingerbread men. The ladies had a choice of stamping a candle or making a decorative orange (preserved with spices and cloves, it's making my house smell really nice right now!), and we also ate a LOT! It was a fun morning out and the girls did really well and were very proud of their creations. 
Nathan and Alyssa playing together.
