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In Like a Lion, Out Like A Lamb

Growing up in Minnesota, every year I’d hear the refrain, “in like a lion, out like a lamb.”  Funny in Florida, March is just another month of sunny, gradually increasing temperatures.  It’s still relatively comfortable, but it’s always sunny.  March in Minnesota, on the other hand, can be a mix bag of horrendous weather from snow storms to rain storms.

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Of course in Florida, the “out like a lamb” could refer to the snowbirds that may leave at the end of the month as Easter approaches.  Since Easter can take place anywhere from late March to early April, I always pray for an early Easter.   Usually once Easter passes, the majority of the snowbirds head back north as we can reclaim our city.  I can’t tell you the happiness that is seeing that first car carrier outside the 55 plus neighborhood.  Undoubtedly, the snowbirds dim my joie de vivre.

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As I count down the days and weeks to Easter, we’ve managed to get back into our normal routine.  Fortunately, Goalielocks’ headaches are gone!  I’m almost scared to type that less they return tomorrow.  He’s really hoping to be able to play this weekend.  He’s been back to school this week ,which has been fabulous.  However, it’s a bit tough to get back on the algebra train after missing two weeks of lessons.  Thank God for Khan Academy.

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March is a pretty exciting month.  There are so many people in our lives with March birthdays.  My SIL and I are one day apart next week.  We’ll get a break from the craziness of hockey with no travel this spring!  Can I get a hallelujah?  Also, this year will mark the first time we’re going somewhere for spring break.  We’re travelling to Atlantis  with friends that became family, which should be an amazing trip.

 

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Premonition

Premonition, mother’s intuition, a hunch… You know those pesky feelings that gnaw at you?  Here’s my beef with all of that…. I’m over the premonitions and intuition associated with the negative.  Last Saturday in New Hampshire, I had an overwhelming sense that Goalielocks’ injury was more than a “minor concussion.”  While it didn’t turn out to be a brain bleed, the recovery period has been anything but minor.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad that my intuition kicked in and ensured my son received the proper care for his injury.  But why aren’t our mother’s intuition or premonition in tune with the winning Mega Millions or Power Ball numbers?  I call shenanigans on all of this.  There should be more premonitions about happy stuff, not just a foreboding sense of dread.  Like a premonition that you’re going to get a raise or promotion. It’s just a suggestion to the universe. #nbd

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Meanwhile in reality, Goalielocks was back to school for the second day.  This morning before we left, he took two Tylenol to help stave off a headache throughout the day. Consequently, he had a much better and more comfortable day at school. #forwardprogress!   He wanted so badly to go to hockey practice tonight, but since he’s still symptomatic we can’t in good conscious let him get on the ice.  If he goes through the day tomorrow without a headache, we may let him suit up and skate.  And I mean just skate to see how his head and body respond to being back on the ice.

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Meanwhile, both boys are playing in the state tournament this weekend albeit on different coasts at different rinks.  The Hubby will be staying local with the Mayor while I’ll travel to the west coast with Goalielocks.  At this point, we don’t know if he’ll be ready to play next weekend, but he wants to be there.  Unequivocally, its the right call as its a team sport and he wants to support his team.  After this season, I’m just ready for a trip to the beach.  This season is one for the books.  You know the ones filled with lots of premonitions and unseemly characters…. I’m probably going to bring my T6i to the west coast, there may be some video blog content and hockey videos coming this weekend.

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Wacky Week

It’s been a wacky week or so since we returned from Boston.  With the injury to Goalielocks’, we really haven’t gotten back into our normal routine.  Although today he was finally able to return to school.  Unfortunately, his headache came back in second period lasting the rest of the day.  We’re hopeful, as is he, that tomorrow will be a better day.  It was much wackier than my imagination could have conjured.

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Anyway, as I was saying it has been a wacky week.  You may have noticed that our family is filled with blondes.  Can you imagine when you throw in a head injury to a family of blondes? It’s no bueno.  Our first night back in Florida, my hubby grilled us some chicken breasts.  When I got home, he was lamenting that the chicken breasts were taking way too long too cook.  He thought perhaps he hadn’t thawed them completely or maybe it’s just that they’re thick.  Oh no, it wasn’t either of those things.

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Apparently, when you grill and use a handy dandy thermometer to check the food’s temperature, you should probably make sure you know temperature scale you’re using.  Yep, if you keep taking the temperature of the chicken breast in Celsius, you’ll be hard pressed to get that chicken over 85 degrees.  He did give it the old college try, but figured it out when the chicken was still only 80 degree Celsius (a.k.a. 176 degree fahrenheit.)  Surprisingly, the chicken breasts were still pretty tasty and not entirely too dry.  In his defense, the kids had changed it to the metric system for their cooking use and didn’t switch it back.  Why the kids use the metric system from time to time is an entirely different post.

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In other news, I ended up with a sore throat, laryngitis and a cold this weekend. I know, you probably heard the men in my life celebrating the silence this weekend. On Saturday night, we did a movie night.  The hubby had to run out to Publix to get groceries for dinner (since he didn’t grocery shop in my absence.)  While at Publix, I asked him to pick up some sorbet and a little treat from the bakery (like a chocolate covered strawberry.)  He asked me what sorbet flavor I wanted and I responded (as loudly as I could,) “anything but mango.”

Apparently, the only word he heard was mango.  I can’t really blame him since my voice was totally gone.   However, I’m super allergic to mangoes.  I mean, spent four months on prednisone because of my mango allergy.   Can you guess what flavor sorbet he brought me?  You guessed it: mango.  As for my small treat from the bakery, a large mango key lie pie. Oy vey!

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To be fair, my allergist did think I’d be able to eat mangoes again.   However, I wasn’t really up for tempting fate with my already swollen throat and laryngitis.  Why tempt fate, right?  So I did… Because Publix pies are amazing and who could really resist it?  Not this girl!  The world didn’t end, however, after a small bite of the pie, I woke up to a mild allergic reaction.  My face was red, but this quickly abated.  Nonetheless, this won’t be the year I go back to eating mangoes.

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Restful Weekend

It’s been a restful weekend for us, which is just what the doctored ordered. I’m still not feeling well, which sucks. However, Goalielocks’ headaches are no longer omnipresent and have lessened in severity. Hallelujah!! This was pretty amazing news today!

If you’ve ever been concussed or had a child concussed, you’re probably familiar with the waiting game. It truly feels like the headaches and symptoms have lasted forever while you’re in the middle of it. In contrast, as you/they start feeling better, you realize it’s only been a week.

Meanwhile, in our aquarium the coral has really taken off. All of our fish like to congregate near it. It’s truly beautiful and I cannot wait to see it grow. The sunlight has helped proliferate the algae growing on the back glass. Consequently, we added two snails into the aquarium. One will help keep the substrate clean, while the other will help clean up the glass. We also added another coral frag to the tank.

As we head back into our work week, Goalielocks will be headed back into school for the first time in over a week. I had hoped he would have been able to work on homework last week, but both hubby and the Mayor forgot to pick it up.

Lastly, congratulations to the Stoneman Douglas hockey team for winning the Florida state high school tournament. Both of my older boys have played with many of these kids over the years. Not only did they win, but they all brought their medals back for the memorial at their high school. Each player put their medal on one of the crosses. They’re incredible!

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Rest and Relaxation

As frantic as last weekend was, this weekend is all about rest and relaxation. Goalielocks has been sleeping and resting most of the week, while I returned to the frenetic pace of everyday life. The piece for this, of course, is some virus that has left me voiceless, congested and with a sore throat. Although, on a happy note, my orchid started blooming today.

Thankfully, Goalielocks seemed to have some improvement in his headaches today. They’ve been a 5-6 (on the pain scale of 1-10)?all week, but this morning his headaches was at a 4. Unfortunately, it got a little bit worse he ran a couple of errands with me, so we’ll have to watch his activity levels.

I finally got back to Kohl’s, so I could put my Kohl’s cash to good use. And boy did I ever! Both younger boys are completely restocked on underwear’s and socks. Hopefully, we’ll get at least a couple months out of these socks!

I also picked up an Instant Pot, which looks pretty cool. It seemed like everyone got one for Christmas and love it, so I’m excited to try it out. If you have any good recipes, please share!

We also headed to the pet store or two looking for some new marine fish for our tank. We have one store that’s close to us that has an amazing array of marine species and aquariums. My boys wish we had a tank large enough to accommodate a shark, but that it way too expensive.

We did however add another clownfish, a goby, a live rock, a carpet an anemone and a feather duster worm. The tank looks pretty cool with the new species in there. Moreover, our two clownfish have already paired and our getting along fabulously. It will be fun to watch them both. We’ve named them Coral and Marlin (a.k.a Nemo’s parents.)

Since I’m sick, I’m already in pajamas ready for bed. Since it’s so early, I think we’ll put on a movie. It’s a perfect night for a movie.

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Slow And Steady

Slow and steady wins the race at least according to the Aesop’s famous fable The Tortoise and the Hare. It’s also an accurate depiction of concussion recovery. We’re now four days post concussion and the headaches have yet to abate. Goalielocks is still experiencing a constant bad headache. Although the Tylenol is helping reduce the pain.

Yesterday was the first day he didn’t experience any nausea. His appetite has returned as he enjoyed some flank steak encrusted in pepper and spices. This is a nice step forward. We are hoping the headaches would follow suit and stop, but they haven’t. Since his headaches have remained severe, we’ve kept him home from school since our return from Boston. Fortunately, the school is sending his home work home with the Mayor tomorrow.

We’ll be back at the doctor later in the week to check on his progress. We’re hopefully for good news, but head injuries operate on their own timelines. Consequently, we’ll have to be patient with the recovery timeline and with him as he recovers. Thanks again for all the concern, well wishes and support.

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Made It Home

We made it home from Boston and I couldn’t be more grateful. Yesterday it looked like we were going to be in Bean Town thru Thursday! If I’m being honest, even though I was stoked he was cleared to fly, I was still very nervous.

This anxiety of course carried into both flights, but the first one especially. I could see him wincing in pain as we took off from Boston. At that point, he finally acquiesced and took a Tylenol. Meanwhile, I was a mess the whole flight.

I’m incredibly grateful to the great Delta flight attendants that brokered a seat swap, so I could sit next to him. In addition, to the seat swap, they gave him free earbuds and some nice treats from first class. They also checked on him quite regularly. I’m so thankful for them!

We made it home and he’s fast asleep. As expected, the flight made his headache somewhat worse. Fortunately, it seems the nausea has improved. He’s hoping to get back to school tomorrow, but it will really depend on how he’s feeling in the morning.

Expectedly, we’re both completely exhausted physically, emotionally and mentally. I haven’t quite processed the last 48 hours fully, but I’m sure in the coming days I’ll work through it. Plus, now I’m back home so I can go in my yoga silk and unwind. Thanks for all the support and your continued prayers and well wishes.

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An Update To The Update

So here’s an update to the update on Goalielocks. We were in the ER in Southern New Hampshire medical center for several hours this afternoon. Based on his symptom and mechanism of injury, they ordered a CT scan. Unfortunately, the CT scan showed what they believed to be a small bleed on the brain.

As he spoke the words, my heart sunk. Brain bleeds are never good. The hospital is pretty small and wasn’t well suited to treat Goalielock’s injury. For example, if he needed surgery to alleviate pressure in the brain, they couldn’t do it. The ER doc felt it was likely non-surgical and an observation approach is likely the approach they’d take.

Consequently, he was transported via ambulance from Southern New Hampshire Medical Center to Massachusetts General in Downtown Boston. In order for this to happen, our incredible hockey family sprung into action: helping me pack the car, driving me to the hospital and bringing me the rental car tomorrow.

Our ride took about 45 minutes and he was triaged into the acute care part of their giant and impressive ER. Goalielocks was quick to notice his doctors were all Harvard affiliated. I’m pretty sure he was impressed. Nonetheless, we were there for several hours.

While he was in Mass General, his case was reviewed by his ER doctor, the attending ER doctor, neurosurgeon, neuro-radiologist, radiologist, pediatric neurosurgeon and the chief of neurology. In the end, they felt the hospital in Nashua misread the scan. There was no brain bleed present. None of their specialists saw bleeding on the brain!!! Thank God!

Our ER doctor was spot on, the emergency department in Nashua was right to send his case to them. They’re much better suited to accurately diagnosis these types of injures. Nonetheless, we’re both hungry and exhausted. Neither of us have eaten since 9:00 this morning. I didn’t feel right eating while Goalielocks waited to be cleared by the neurosurgeon. The good news is we have pizza on the way and a late check out. Undoubtedly, we’ll be sleeping in tomorrow.

Lastly, thanks for all the prayers and well wishes yesterday and today. They mean a lot and prayer certainly works! Special thank you to our hockey family for helping us out today. We love you to the moon and back!

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Hazards Of Hockey

Oh the hazards of hockey. For us hockey parents we’re acutely aware of these hazards, but for the uninitiated it can be a bit scary. There are, of course, several different types of hazards ranging from financial to physical. It definitely takes a little bit of courage and craziness to be a hockey parent.

Unfortunately, today we were again reminded of the hazards of hockey. Late in the third period, Goalielocks was plowed into by one of their players. I’ve seen a lot of collisions in the crease, but this one was especially nasty. I knew immediately his game was over and probably his tournament.

Both boys were having trouble sitting up, so Coach P was supporting Goalielocks, while the ref supported the other player. From my vantage point, I could tell both players were completely out of it. Consequently, the coaches helped both players off the ice to the bench.

Once on the bench, they decided to send Goalielocks off as he was dizzy. When he got off the ice, he was out of it. Even though he was out of it, he was disappointed his game was over. Fortunately, he passed the baseline concussion tests. His pupils looked good, he knew where he was, where he’s from and the day of the week, so I was encouraged.

Post-game the coach at Merrimack College gave the boys a tour of their facilities. Our boys, Goalielocks included, really enjoyed the tour. Meanwhile, the parents appreciated how the coach explained the academic requirements for a division one athlete. Hopefully, this will motivate our boys to focus on their studies.

As we left the rink, I had planned to take a wait and see approach to the head injury. However, after our trip to Chic Fil-A, I knew I’d have to get him checked out. He placed his order, I paid and then ran to the restroom while they made our food. When I got back to the counter, he asked me if I had ordered the drink. He had completely forgotten that he ordered himself a Dr. Pepper.

Consequently, we ended up in an urgent care center. Goalielocks was reticent to go as he didn’t want to be told he couldn’t play. In the end, it was, as I thought, a minor concussion. He’ll be out for at least a week, but we’ll need to follow up with his pediatrician once back in Florida. He’s pretty bummed as he played well this morning and was looking forward to his next game.

Nonetheless, it could have been much worse given the severity of the collision. So tonight instead of heading to the rink, we’re chilling in the room enjoying our room service.