Saturday Sound Off: Teen Responses | ‘No Problem’ is a Problem July 30, 2011

I am excited to introduce Jacqueline Wilson from WritRams as the guest blogger for today’s Saturday Sound Off. I find it very fitting to have Jackie as my FIRST guest blogger as she was the one who inspired me to start my blog. Not to mention, I also credit her for sparking my idea about starting the Saturday Sound Off series. Jackie is a very talented writer and an even better friend. You can find her at WritRams.com and  PrimeParentsClub.com

 

Teen Responses | ‘No Problem’ is a Problem

Remember when people used to say “You’re welcome” when you said “Thank you.” No? Me either. But it used to happen. I know because I see it on TV sometimes. (And, if it’s on television then we all know it must be true.)

In case you haven’t guessed already, my complaint today is about how we respond to each other. More specifically, how teenagers respond to adults.

Now before you get all blah-blah-blah about this being another teen-hater post and how I can’t possibly understand because I’m older than, well, dirt, let me tell you something: I do understand. I won’t go into my parenting credentials and my experience teaching lecture halls full of teens, but I have been around enough of them to know that uncaring responses has become a common trend from the majority—the norm. And it’s annoying.

Really annoying.

I mean, how much more of an effort is it really to say “you’re welcome” instead of “no problem”? Um, let me see, same amount of words…so IT’S NOT.  And, by the way Tracy and Timmy Teen? I didn’t ask you if there was a problem, I just said THANK YOU. Your response doesn’t even make sense in the bigger scheme of things.

So, the next time a teen responds “no problem” to your “thank you,” take a moment to school them on why “no problem” really is a problem.

And while we’re at it, don’t even get me started on “It’s not my fault.” I better end this now before I burst an important blood vessel somewhere.

What’s your pet peeve phrase from teens?

Jacqueline Wilson is a published author and founder and editor of PrimeParentsClub.com–a site dedicated to celebrating and connecting parents 35 and up. She also blogs daily on her observational parenting humor site, WritRams.com-Writer Ramblings on Parenting Imperfectly. Jacqueline escaped the corporate world and now spends her day juggling between being a work-at-home mom and a stay-at-home mom. She apologizes for any organic juice spilled on the business documents you receive.

Warrior Dash July 29, 2011

Tomorrow I am headed into battle.

That’s right, I am competing in the Warrior Dash and will be embarking on “the craziest frickin’ day of my life.” I have been waiting for this race since I heard about it over a year ago. This is the first time is has come to Michigan and I am super excited to be a part of it! I had anticipated that I would be more prepared physically, however the whole breathing issue kind of got in the way of that. But in all honesty, I entered the race for fun. I am not expecting myself to finish within a certain time, I just want to complete all the obstacles AND finish the course. The race is 3.1 hellish miles with 12 obstacles. Click here for the course map. I am not concerned about the 3.1 miles and most of the obstacles seem doable (this from the person who is scared of heights). The two obstacles that scare me the most is the blackout – where I am to dive into darkness and escape the trenches and the new obstacle that says “details coming soon.” I am almost tempted to stuff a small key chain sized flashlight into my shoe for the blackout obstacle. I do not like the unknown. I am hoping to alleviate my fears about the mystery obstacle by getting to the race early enough to walk the course before I race and see how other competitors handle it. (The race begins at 8am, but my heat is at 11am.)

I should also mention that my hubby is doing this race with me! I think he is mostly just coming to collect his warrior helmet and free beer at then end. We will see who crosses the finish line first! All is fair in love and racing!

Since I will be on the battlefield tomorrow, I will be having my first guest blogger! Jacqueline Wilson from writrams.com will be hosting the Saturday Sound Off this week and I know that she will have a great post in store for you!

Brennen’s Medical Journey: MRI, X-Ray & Physical Therapy July 28, 2011

I scheduled Brennen’s MRI for the first available morning appointment, as the procedure required him to fast. You can read more about the actual MRI appointment here.We got the MRI results about one week after the appointment and we were told by the neurologist that the MRI showed no signs of brain damage. Yay! However, the doctor also said that the MRI could not rule out cerebral palsy (CP). Did I confuse you here? Because this is the point where the doctor lost me. How could the MRI that was ordered to rule out CP, not rule it out? Well, it turns out that although a MRI can show structural damage to the brain it can not show if the brain is functioning normally. And it seems that CP is one of those disorders that doctor’s still do not know a lot about. To be honest, I was fuming mad at the doctor about this. I felt this was vital information that should have been given to us BEFORE our son went through the MRI so we could have decided whether or not we still wanted him to have one.

The original plan for the back x-ray was to have it done immediately following the MRI. However, Brennen was too groggy from the sedation to stand without support and the back x-ray required him to bear his own weight. Because of this, I took Brennen to get the x-ray about a week after the MRI. The x-ray was way less traumatizing than the MRI, so that part was a relief. However, getting the results of the x-ray was EXTREMELY difficult and frustrating. Click here to see why I have developed some ill feeling towards the neurologist and his staff.

As far as the physical therapy (PT) goes, the doctor had prescribed PT 2-3 days per week for 4-6 weeks. Brennen’s physical therapist felt that amount of time was overkill and instead penciled us in for 2 days a week for 2 weeks, with the understanding that she would re-evaluate Brennen’s needs before she released him. Brennen greatly enjoyed PT. For him it was like having a one on one gymnastics class. She had him stretch his legs and play games that encouraged him to walk flat-footed. By the end of the two weeks Brennen lost interest in her games and became uncooperative, something that she expected from a three-year old. During the first week of PT, the therapist felt Brennen’s toe walking was idiopathic, but towards the end of the second week she felt he was toe walking because he was compensating for some sort of weakness (coincidentally we had received the x-ray results during the second week, so I am not sure if that swayed her opinion). However, she did end up releasing Brennen from PT at the end of the second week, partly because he wasn’t showing any improvement and partly because he was uncooperative. However, she referred us to a orthotist to get Brennen fitted for a metal shoe insert that makes it difficult to toe walk. If the insert does not work, she has asked us to consider having his feet serial casted or his legs braced. Serial casting is just like when someone has a broken bone, but in Brennen’s case his feet would be casted so he can not toe walk. The casts would be on for two weeks, but they have no guarantee of working. She said that some kids have their casts removed and then go right back to toe walking. If the casting doesn’t work or if we want to avoid that step altogether, we can get Brennen fitted for leg braces that would prohibit him from toe walking. The braces would be on for up to one year. At this time, the hubby and I feel that both casting and bracing are pretty extreme options and we do not feel like we are ready to make that decision.

 

Next week Brennen has three appointments. First he will be seeing the orthotist to get fitted for his insole. A few days later he will be seeing the physical therapist, to evaluate how well the insole is working and lastly we have a follow-up appointment with the neurologist. Stay tuned and send us some good vibes, please!

Brennen’s Medical Journey: The Neurologist

As you already know from Brennen’s Medical Journey: Toe Walking, Brennen’s 3-year check-up resulted in a referral to a pediatric neurologist to further investigate his toe walking. After waiting 2 months for the appointment, the day finally arrived at the beginning of April. I approached the appointment with a lot of apprehension as I did not know what to expect. When we signed in at the front desk, I was handed a stack of papers to fill out. Some of them were the standard medical questionnaires that you get whenever you go to a new doctor, but others asked in-depth questions about my pregnancy, Brennen’s birth, Brennen’s milestones and our family medical history. I panicked a little trying to fill out the medical history. Many of the diseases I checked “no family history” because I was not aware of anyone having the diseases but at the same time I didn’t know for sure. I was also having difficulties filling out Brennen’s milestones. I couldn’t remember them all. The only ones that stood out in my mind were the ones he didn’t achieve “on time.” For example, he never crawled, instead he scooted on his butt. He was also a late walker, at around 16 months. But I did the best I could and I chided myself for feeling like a bad mom because I couldn’t remember them all.

He was scooting on his butt in this picture. It was the cutest thing!

We waited for over an hour before we were finally called back. At that point, Brennen had already reached the end of his patience and I had run out of things to entertain him with. Initially, I spoke with the neurologists’ assistant. He pretty much just reviewed the paperwork and asked pertinent follow-up questions. He also examined Brennen. He mostly concentrated on Brennen’s legs, in regards to reflexes and range of motion. After the exam THE neurologist came in and I sat in the room while he conferred with his assistant about our conversation and Brennen’s exam. It was a weird fly-on-the-wall kind of feeling. The neurologist performed his own exam and then had Brennen walk in the hallway so they could see his toe walking firsthand. He ended our visit by summarizing his findings and putting forth his recommendations. He said upon examining Brennen, he felt Brennen’s reflexes were too reactive and that his muscles seemed tight. (I attribute the “tightness” to Brennen not wanting the doctor to touch him.) He also mentioned that many neurological disorders also involve speech delays, which he knew Brennen was in the process of being evaluated for. He said he was hesitant to rule Brennen’s toe walking as idiopathic, which basically means without a known cause, because as far as I knew, there was no family history of toe walking. Therefore, not wanting to let Brennen’s case “slip under the radar,” he recommended that Brennen get a back x-ray to rule out scoliosis, a brain MRI to rule out cerebral palsy and attend physical therapy.

Again, I felt stunned! I remember talking and nodding, but I wasn’t really there. I remember going through the motions of collecting the necessary paperwork for the tests and gathering our things to go home. I just could not believe that all of this grew out of Brennen being a toe walker. It’s not like he exclusively toe walks, he can walk flat-footed. My mind was also stuck on the MRI and the thought of taking Brennen to the hospital to be “put to sleep.” I just couldn’t fathom doing it. I remember calling the hubby on our way home, talking to him as tears streamed down my face. The hubby’s first response was anger. Anger at why this was happening and why the doctors were making such a big deal of it. We both yearned for this chapter in our life to be behind us.

Brennen’s Medical Journey: Speech Therapy July 27, 2011

After the crying subsided from the shocking news of Brennen’s 3-year check-up, I went into responsible mommy mode. I called the neurologist and secured the first available appointment, which was two months from the date of my call. I also made Brennen an appointment to get his hearing tested as that was a pre-requisite to making an appointment with a speech therapist. As a side note, finding someone to do a hearing test on a 3-year old was quite a task. His pediatrician’s office wouldn’t do it because they said kids under the age of five are too difficult to do hearing tests on. We ended up securing an appointment through the Macomb County Intermediate School District (MISD), at no cost to us.

Brennen’s hearing checked out perfectly! In fact, the audiologist tested him at a lower level then she normally would and he responded to everything! This was no surprise to the hubby or myself as Brennen is very sensitive to noise. In fact we actually have a pair of Peltor Kid’s Earmuffs that we use daily while running the vacuum, the blender etc. We even took them on vacation.

Once Brennen completed his hearing test we were able to make an appointment at our local elementary school to get his speech evaluated. Luckily, in Michigan, speech therapy is offered through the public school system and therefore speech evaluations and therapy is offered for free to kids! As you may recall, Brennen’s pediatrician thought that Brennen talked with a lisp. Interestingly, the speech therapist did not agree. However, the therapist felt that his speech was delayed and thus evaluated him with the Goldman Fristoe Test of Articulation. The test was basically a set of flash cards with a different picture on each one. The therapist would show Brennen a card and then he had to tell her what was on it. The results of the test indicated that Brennen was one year behind in his speech. The therapist noted that he had a tendency to use jargon while he talked and also deleted the final consonants in some word. The speech therapist recommended that Brennen join a group therapy session at the school that met one time per week. At this point there was only four weeks left in the school year, so Brennen would only attend four sessions.

As far as Brennen was concerned, his speech therapy class was “school.” So he was very excited to go each day and even insisted upon wearing his backpack even though there was no need for it. By the end of the four weeks the teacher told me that Brennen may not even need to return in the Fall because his speech seemed to be more clear. As much as I would like to credit the teacher for his “improvement”, I feel that he just became more comfortable in the strange environment and thus sounded clearer.

Brennen’s Medical Journey: Toe Walking July 26, 2011

Since I started my blog, I have mentioned several medical appointments / tests that Brennen has gone through this year. (Click here, here and here if you missed them.) Until now, I have been hesitant to share Brennen’s entire medical journey as it is very personal and emotional. Just writing this entry made me cry. Recently, while scouring the web for some answers I came across Tina at Scoliosis Family Adventures. Not only are her posts very open about her family’s medical journey, but she also reached out to me after I commented on her blog. Her email to me was filled with support and referrals (her family lives in Michigan as well). My interaction with her made me realize that by sharing Brennen’s medical journey, I may be able to offer encouragement and strength to another family.

Brennen’s medical journey began in February at his 3-year check-up. Overall, his pediatrician said he was very healthy. His asthma flare ups had decreased over the past 12 months and he had gained some weight. He was in the 10th percentile for height and the 25th percentile for weight. He has always been on the small side, thanks to having small parents. We talked about his potty training progress and she encouraged me to schedule his first dental visit. She also felt that Brennen was talking with a lisp and recommended that he see a speech therapist. Just as we were wrapping up the appointment, Brennen started to get restless and began walking around the room. Not just walking, but toe walking. This prompted a barrage of questions from his pediatrician.

Pediatrician: “How long has he been doing this?”

Me: “Since he started walking.” (He was a late walker at 16 months.)

Pediatrician: “What percentage of time would you say that he does it each day?”

Me: “At least 50% of the time.”

I honestly didn’t understand what the big deal was. It seemed harmless to me. However, his pediatrician went on to explain that if toe walking is not outgrown by the age of two, it could be a symptom of a neurological disorder and gave me a referral for Brennen to see a neurologist. I left the pediatrician’s office stunned, overwhelmed and scared. (To be continued.)

The Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Know How To Drive A Stick Shift July 25, 2011

Shortly after I turned 16 and got my license, I got my first car. It was an old Dodge Charger with high mileage and an ugly gold paint job tinged with rust. To top it off, it had a manual transmission. When I first got the car I couldn’t even move it one foot before I stalled it and caused myself and my passenger (sorry Mom) to violently rock back and forth. Eventually I mastered first gear and finally got out of the driveway. However, I still remember many harrowing moments of stopping on a hill or at a traffic light and praying that I could get the car moving again without stalling it. Looking back at that time in my life, I now consider mastering the stick shift as a rite of passage. That is why it always surprises me to hear of adults who can not drive a manual transmission. So if you do not know how to drive a stick, perhaps one of these 10 reasons will entice you to give it a try!

1. Bragging Rights – There are those who can drive a stick and those who can’t. It always feels good to be part of the group that can.

2. Fun Factor – Driving a stick breaks up the boredom of driving. The only exception to this is if you are driving in stop and go traffic. Then you just end up with a sore left leg from shifting.

3. It’s Empowering – Especially if you are a woman.

4. It’s a Necessity – What if an emergency arises and the only vehicle available is a stick shift? Hey, it could happen.

5. Save Money – Vehicles with a manual transmission typically get better gas mileage than those with an automatic transmission. Even purchasing a vehicle with a stick shift is cheaper than purchasing the same vehicle with an automatic transmission.

6. It’s Therapeutic – Instead of getting angry at the crazy drivers on the road around you, just focus on the symphony of sounds that down-shifting and up-shifting create. Or just down-shift and speed right pass the maniacs. 🙂

7. Nostalgia – When the first Model T rolled off of the assembly line it housed a manual transmission. Now vehicles with automatic transmissions far out number the amount of vehicles with manual transmissions.

8. Greater Vehicle Control – If you are a control freak, this is just one more thing you can have control over.

9. Less Breaking – With a stick shift you can reduce the amount of times you need to use your brakes by down-shifting. This is especially helpful in the Winter on slippery roads.

10. To Become a Nascar Driver – This one may be a bit of a stretch, but I am not aware of any cars in Nascar that are automatics.

Saturday Sound Off: Heat Wave July 22, 2011

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It has been a HOT week here in the D.

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Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE the heat. I see it as my reward for enduring Michigan winters. However, record-breaking temperatures combined with humidity that takes your breath away is a bit much, even for me.

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According to an article on MSN, “In this heat, it’s not just about discomfort. It’s about survival.” They also noted that the heat has caused 22 deaths nationwide, at least two were in the Detroit area.

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Currently in the Greater Detroit area, we have thousands of people who have been without power for much of this week. Even more people have power, but lack air conditioning. Fortunately, there are numerous cooling centers available to provide folks relief from the heat. Click here to find one near you.

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I am fortunate to have AC in my house and a nice neighbor who lets us swim in their pool. What are you doing to stay cool?

Breaking the Routine July 21, 2011

A couple of nights ago I did something very out of character . . . I went to bed without tidying up the house. I know that doesn’t sound like a big deal, but I am a creature of habit and it is always the last thing I do before I go to bed. No. Matter. What.

But I was tired and it was getting late. Right when I was about to make my circle around the house, I thought to myself,

“Why not leave it for tomorrow?”

So I did! And you know what happened the next day? The sun came up and the day came and went without any punishment from the universe for breaking my routine. Maybe I will have to break my routine more often!

Exercise Induced Reactive Airway July 19, 2011

With all the drama of getting Brennen’s x-ray results and the excitement of starting a Facebook page for my blog, I forgot to report back about my recent doctor’s appointment.

As you already know, I have been wheezing when I run. After spending two hours at the doctor’s office being examined, having a chest x-ray, enduring a pulmonary test and getting numerous vials of blood drawn, my current diagnosis is exercise induced reactive airway. Which basically means that when I participate in vigorous aerobic activity my airway becomes restricted and causes wheezing and shortness of breath. The doctor still wants to determine whether the cause of the reactive airway is asthma or allergies, thus the blood tests. In the meantime, I have been prescribed an albuterol inhaler to use 15 minutes before I exercise. So far I have run two times since being prescribed the inhaler and it has made a world of difference! I can actually breath! I only wish that I had gone to the doctor two months ago!

Have you ever put off going to the doctor and later regretted it?