Back Injection #2

Got my second back injection today. We are leaving for our cruise this Saturday so I wanted to be in tip top shape for the long plane ride and hustle bustle. Well...before one gets an injection the Dr comes in to discuss the procedure and answer any questions. I told him that I didn't think the previous injection (that I received a week and a half ago) was doing its job. I'm not in as bad of pain but there's still sleepless nights and sore days going on. So I convinced him to inject in a different spot after all I'm the one feeling the pain not him.

As I'm on the operating table he says "Oh boy, hmmm, well, I've never seen that before." OK!!! HOLD YOUR HORSES...not something you want your Dr to be saying seconds before he's sticking a rather Large needle in your back spinal cord area! I of course ask what's going on. He proceeds to tell me that the bone birth defect I was trying to explain in my previous post in blocking the way to do the injection properly and had me look at the X-Ray as they do the injection all through the use of an X-Ray machine. After some talking it through between the Dr, myself, and the anesthesiologist he was going for it. He had to maneuver the needle to get to the right spot but it worked as this time it was pretty painful for a few minutes while the medicine was going in. I remember 10 years ago that it was very painful as well. A week and a half ago I had ZERO pain. So I am hopeful pain means its going to work this time. He then did two other shots to the defected bone area and major source of my pain so hoping I will find much relief in the days to come.

Pretty crazy that this is all happening but we knew it would fester to the surface sooner than later. One can only receive 3 of these shots in a years time so hoping these 2 will begin working and that I need no others. Bypassing surgery is our first goal at this time, I cannot afford a 6 week recovery. Prayers please!

Naps

This post is for my cousin Nico. She blogged about her kids not taking naps. We all know how much a mom looks forward to naps and how disappointing it can be when kids don't nap. Well, today Nico at about 10am Bryce started walking around the house saying 'Night, Night' and Grady asked if he could watch a movie so he could take a nap. I thought to myself...Are you kidding me, I have errands to run!!! So we got ready, went to town and came home with a pizza for the three of us. We were about a mile from home and I looked in my mirror to see both of them asleep! I turned up the radio and started making noise...I know how mean right, but they couldn't sleep that close to home! So we finally got home, gave them their pizza and before either one of them were done Grady looks at me and says "I don't want my pizza mom, I want to go to bed" followed with a "Night, Night" from Bryce. WHOOT! WHOOT! I washed them up and put them down and my oh my is this the BEST day ever!!!! How rare it is that they nap at the Same Time! So while your post Nico wasn't the most chipper of days for you, there are days like mine today that turn those bad days into not such a big deal because today I am celebrating and not doing a darn thing ;)

P.S. the above picture is of them playing at the library this morning. Grady asked if we could stop and get some new books, how can a mom say No to a request like that!!

'B', 'B-B', 'Brycie', 'Babes', 'Brycer', 'Bryce'

Recently it has rained and rained bringing the worms to the surface of all walking areas around town. Bryce is very amused by them and sat down to get an up close and personal look at one. He would touch it, it would squirm, he would giggle and do it all over again. Pretty cheap entertainment! If you look close the worm is at the end of his finger, he was more brave than his brother! Our little Batman :)

Cabin

Brad was doing some dirt work for one of our friends at his cabin not far from Hazard. It is so cool and only miles from us! I never knew it was there and am excited to spend more time there. Turkeys, deer, squirrels, you name it walk across the yard and eat out of bunkers just feet from the house. Its so peaceful and relaxing we spent ours out there. Grady told me he wants his next birthday party to be there, we just might have to look in to that! Its kinda roughing it but not really because they do have electricity and running water but no bathroom...an outhouse is steps away from the cabin!

Grady loved playing in the dirt just out the front door
Sorry the pictures are so small they were taken on my phone.
The front is lined with animal skulls the owner has harvested
Very cool place to be!

Back Surgery or NOT...

Everyone has been so nice asking about my back problems. This is not something to post on Facebook but wanted my concerned family and friends to know. If you look at this first picture you can see the square like vertebrae with a white blob in between each square. The blobs are the discs. Each one that has some white color to it is healthy and doing its job which would be the jarring and every day stress we put on our backs. If you look further down my spine you see a completely BLACK disc and if you notice it is protruding out of its supposed to be confined area. This is my current MRI as of last week. This BLACK disc is considered a Severe Degenerative, Bulging Disc. It is NOT doing its job what so ever. I literally have a puffy sack in my mid low back that shows where the disc is bulging out of its area and into my low back skin area. Kinda freaky and the Dr I saw has Never seen the actual puffy sack before.

I can't get this picture to rotate. It is sideways and I'm sorry. My butt is pointing towards the right. You can see a circle towards the left of the picture and then two arms that flow from the circle. At the very top of the picture one of the arms is more elongated, tiny, and curved at the tip. At the bottom of the picture (the other arm of that circle) is broader and the end is not curved but rather odd shaped. This is a bone that grew incorrectly in my back and actually already fused one of my lower discs in space. Which is another reason why I have SO much back pain all the time. Fortunately this 'accidental bone fusion, birth defect' if you will... has actually saved that certain disc from also being black and dead because the bone defect is keeping that disc in place not letting it bulge and die like the black one above it.

In this picture is my butt towards the bottom of the picture and then towards the top is a circle. The circle is my disc but you can see it is not a complete circle and is pushing up or in this picture 'down' against my spinal column and nerve area which is the white area.

I am having severe low back pain that goes into my butt, hip, and leg. My options are steroid injections and then surgery if the injections don't do the trick. I ultimately want to avoid surgery as it will be a 6 week recovery and taking it easy for the following year. Today was my first injection in my low back. It didn't hurt much but unfortunately it can take 72 hours to a week to kick in. Hoping it works faster than that as the injection site is burning and I still have the low back aching pain. But I am surving and still looking forward to our cruise in exactly 2 weeks :)

Grady and his new bike

The pictures are good but I think the video is going to be of poor quality. I can't watch it until after I post it but it's looking a little shady. You'll still get the idea of it even if its not clear :)

Mother's Day at Preschool

Grady's teacher invited the mother's of the preschool kids to class the last day of the week for a Mother's Day activity with their child. The mother's and kids put together sugar cookies in a jar and it was a wonderful time! The kids were so excited to have their mom's visit and the mom's were delighted in the kids being so independent measuring the ingredients for the jars. Great idea Miss Bridget!

We celebrated Grady's birthday on this day of preschool
and he was proud to show off his bday sticker!

Grady made me a Mother's Day card and was super excited to give it to me

The perfect Mother's Day photo

Grady Lee's 4th Birthday

We had a wonderful outdoor birthday party for Grady last Friday night. Many friends and family members showed up to make the evening perfect. He got spoiled rotten but deserved it for the angel he's been these past four years. We love you Grady Lee!!

Grady and his mama
The 'little' brother

Ready for the party with his drink and hot dog roasting stick

Some of the party goer's

Gift opening, Grady with a new pair of cowboy boots

Yep, there are 8 kids on our trampoline at once
perhaps I will take out that insurance policy after allOur boy

He loved his cake!!

Blowing out the candles with some help from the girls

More gift opening

We got Grady a bike for his birthday and he LOVES it
Every night we've gotten home this week he's asked
to go on a bike ride, I love that he loves it :)

Bryce had to get in on the action too

Cadyn and her daddy, just a swingin'

Grandpa Dan and Bryce with Grady in the background
They loved the hot dog roasting!
Bryce and Grandpa Greg

Car seat Flavor

On our way home from Grand Island today the boys were supposed to be quiet to try and take a nap. I heard Grady smacking on something and asked...

Me-"Grady, what are you chewing on?"
Grady-"gum"
Me-"Where did you find it?"
Grady-"In my car seat..."
Me-"Was it in a wrapper or already chewed??"
Grady-"I just found it in my car seat"
Me-"Does it have any flavor...what flavor is it??!!??"
Grady-"car seat flavor..."

Then he spit it out and gave it to me. Yes, it was an already been chewed or ABC piece of gum!!!
YUCK!!!