No Magic Bullet

Helen went back to the doctor yesterday to follow up on her allergy testing. The doctor confirmed that it looked like she was somewhat allergic to a lot of things. He didn't think there was any magic bullet but that Helen would probably benefit from allergy shots, although it would take 6 months or a year before they would have any effect. She started crying and asked if he was telling her that she would have to wait that long before she felt any relief. To which he replied rather flippantly, "I didn't make the rules." Based on her MRI he didn't think that she should be having such bad headaches and recommended that she see a neurologist. She was stunned and asked if that was really necessary. He was a little agitated and felt she was questioning his medical advice and asked "who's the doctor here." Needless to say, Helen was not happy. However, after the doctor left the room the physician's assistant took the time to explain things and answer all Helen's questions - in a much more comforting manner.

Helen's appointment was near my office so she met me and we went to lunch. We had to sit in the parking lot and let the tears flow for a while before we could go. We went to the California Pizza Kitchen and had the Barbecue and Thai chicken pizzas. She felt better afterwards.

A guy at my office suggested some alternative therapies. He has bad allergies and other sinus issues and has had relief by following the watercure therapy. He also recommended another alternative medicine site: http://www.newstarget.com. We're a little skeptical, but Helen's willing to try almost anything. She drank a full 64 oz of water yesterday (it was hard) and said that she could actually blow her nose this morning and get some relief. The doctor also prescribed Allegra and Astelin nose spray. We'll keep our fingers crossed.

Adam's daycare closed early when a water pipe broke during some construction next door to the daycare. The boys got a kick out of all the commotion and Adam liked being picked up early.

Adam seems to be having some allergies and has been a little "needy" recently. The other day on the say home from school he wanted to see Helen's charm bracelet. He was going through each charm and asking about it. He was upset that the ski boot that Helen got for last year's ski trip didn't look like his actual ski boot - it looked more like Daddy's. Then he lost it when he came across the moose that Helen got when we went to Alaska with Derek before Adam was born. Adam started crying that he had never seen a moose.

Recognizing that Adam was not feeling his best, Helen asked Adam if he wanted to cuddle and read some stories. So they went to Adam's room and cuddled in the rocking chair and read Courdoroy and Go, Dog, Go. Derek came upstairs and wanted to see what was going on. He brought his own book and wanted to get in on the Mommy time. Adam didn't appreciate the interruption and told Derek that "Harry Potter wasn't going to make him feel any better."

Derek had piano practice and then a basketball game. Adam brought his bag of toys and bounced the basketball on the court during time outs. Adam gets the most intense look on his face as he bends over with his tongue out and tries his hardest to keep the ball going. Derek's team played really well, but lost the game in overtime. Derek didn't score, but had some good defensive plays and hustled.

Adam got a splinter in his hand at school, but wouldn't let Helen mess with it. I got it out after bath time, but not without some tears. Derek was very comforting and got Adam a band-aid and read stories to him. They've been into the Adam Scarry "Busy Town" book that Aunt Katie got for Derek years ago. They love to look at all the intricate things going on in his illustrations.