tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22911971857937124472024-02-25T13:13:17.586-08:00Katie's ProgressAmyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708045017146385084noreply@blogger.comBlogger179125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291197185793712447.post-43923845714431012312023-09-07T08:58:00.002-07:002023-09-07T08:58:50.875-07:00Therasuit Therapy <p> Katie went through Therasuit therapy this summer to help with balance, etc... This helps her so much! In each video, Tom the therapist explains a little bit about this type of therapy. </p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhwnKcPVdrA" target="_blank">1 of 3 </a><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqEeAcIhApI" target="_blank">2 of 3 </a><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEwo7fp68WY" target="_blank">3 of 3</a></p>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708045017146385084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291197185793712447.post-82334361166239392892023-06-14T05:56:00.004-07:002023-06-14T06:15:43.872-07:00<p> Here I am a year and a half since my last post, well... life. That's to blame. I don't know if anyone besides my family reads this anyway π</p><p>We all did eventually get COVID right around Christmas, so we celebrated alone and not feeling too good- just like a bad cold with symptoms that varied daily. But great Chinese food helped π and I didn't have to cook which is always a plus for everyone. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgndrroLcwx6oOIWmiundH8vgoFqoXakebvPLv23BcuSdICvGTX6_91TDMXSwWp5gydR1XSZ6MFRGw7hlzgBJvwEPMxijh-Fw8OrunOp2y3e2IWvjt0tdS6LcL7Ja8m-AG8_EHEiv37YaYgvadoeCYR6v2Bc1DuzDoQ_5sxvHZS9rbNY1UsFKsyrw1v/s1792/k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1792" data-original-width="1433" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgndrroLcwx6oOIWmiundH8vgoFqoXakebvPLv23BcuSdICvGTX6_91TDMXSwWp5gydR1XSZ6MFRGw7hlzgBJvwEPMxijh-Fw8OrunOp2y3e2IWvjt0tdS6LcL7Ja8m-AG8_EHEiv37YaYgvadoeCYR6v2Bc1DuzDoQ_5sxvHZS9rbNY1UsFKsyrw1v/s320/k.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>Katie is now 17, crazy! She's doing well and has shot up in height. I think this may have made her less balanced and she is starting a three week series of Therasuit Therapy today (which she did years ago) so I'll post about that. It should help her balance and walking.<p></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoNClAV-TK87yjWhwcakOGX11v1r-B9lILXn_Dr3KiFVXxKkmUylNoX0dgA6p2a_2eK8YMhNObHB8Q33V3UXnyPWoSPr7pBD_RnmBhiWMbn1N9y5glu4moTmaoB3AXHKPEREeIqMgcWRzly5maERtWfTPhFYvlFEc12jizLChx6PTpTpEhQan89S4R/s1195/KIR.jpg" style="clear: right; display: inline; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="863" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoNClAV-TK87yjWhwcakOGX11v1r-B9lILXn_Dr3KiFVXxKkmUylNoX0dgA6p2a_2eK8YMhNObHB8Q33V3UXnyPWoSPr7pBD_RnmBhiWMbn1N9y5glu4moTmaoB3AXHKPEREeIqMgcWRzly5maERtWfTPhFYvlFEc12jizLChx6PTpTpEhQan89S4R/w231-h320/KIR.jpg" width="231" /></a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>My last post said we were getting a puppy. It's so fun having a dog again! He went through training and is such a good boy. I highly recommend standard poodles! <p></p><br /><p></p>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708045017146385084noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291197185793712447.post-63186764372832213092021-10-19T11:46:00.006-07:002021-10-19T12:00:11.055-07:00Dog<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKU8VFFJuPBhP179NvBhslu6FTNk1Xr1mzmVH13Hu6Ao_psLOXdYoOek9IfSkn5-7vr2NS_Uy2JReN0nrtolRPfBOzziqN9JaceiOy5VvDikjhYjhF6TovuwiwouNunNXklS75o3sbp-E/s701/katie06.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="701" data-original-width="526" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKU8VFFJuPBhP179NvBhslu6FTNk1Xr1mzmVH13Hu6Ao_psLOXdYoOek9IfSkn5-7vr2NS_Uy2JReN0nrtolRPfBOzziqN9JaceiOy5VvDikjhYjhF6TovuwiwouNunNXklS75o3sbp-E/w300-h400/katie06.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /> Yeah, so I 've been terrible at posting since COVID started. We are all fine and we have all had the vaccine with basically no symptoms. None of us have had COVID either so that is great. Katie's in school and they wear masks - thankfully she will wear one. I send in eight masks a day and they switch them out since she drools a little bit... π£ <p></p><p>She just had a week off for winter break and the week before that she was out because of a cold, and a few weeks before that she was out for a week because of allergies. It's been a rough month! For me mainly, as she was ok watching Mamma Mia, Cinderella, and The Brady Bunch movies all day but I still had to work (from home) and do all the other stuff like laundry, etc... I'm tired.</p><p>For the last two months she's had a tongue episode where it sticks out constantly and no one knows why. No one can figure this out, although I think it's seasonal allergies. It usually lasts a few weeks and this time it was 2 loooooong months - this drives me crazy! I tried to find the cutest picture of her with her tongue hanging out but I guess that's a little bit ironic, lol! I'm so glad she is finally feeling better and over all of these issues from the last few months.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW0YaLL0C2DIiMWFMf2rDgeYcsib3vKYJmRJEkmST3vASTWfbx7yqyC_pRKyPYSx5o67DhT_wqhakQ0J7EiRrUOJHCekJBB2GbjK-jdvh2pAGL_EhR9z_XFKk_aDpSJszRL-INLO-iFZA/s3022/tongue.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2950" data-original-width="3022" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW0YaLL0C2DIiMWFMf2rDgeYcsib3vKYJmRJEkmST3vASTWfbx7yqyC_pRKyPYSx5o67DhT_wqhakQ0J7EiRrUOJHCekJBB2GbjK-jdvh2pAGL_EhR9z_XFKk_aDpSJszRL-INLO-iFZA/w200-h195/tongue.jpg" width="200" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9hxnv6fdip1zDlHERmHDB6XCKSn3BU2fd5TDOByHJN34MnjLNzJ-mSgG8IOFRyrlE96-B3h1XeGRMTiTYPZ9l3nPpRmvaWsm3x_iGBo6W3ZZTEj4C0e3KLbGkwfI18d9Zbqgh5ztv2tA/s2464/tongie.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2464" data-original-width="2457" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9hxnv6fdip1zDlHERmHDB6XCKSn3BU2fd5TDOByHJN34MnjLNzJ-mSgG8IOFRyrlE96-B3h1XeGRMTiTYPZ9l3nPpRmvaWsm3x_iGBo6W3ZZTEj4C0e3KLbGkwfI18d9Zbqgh5ztv2tA/w194-h196/tongie.jpg" width="194" /></a></div></div><p></p><p>Tomorrow we get a puppy! I tried to go the rescue route but the three I tried to get all got adopted before I could get to them. They want you to bring the whole family in so I'd have to wait until Katie was out of school and then go down there and by then, the dogs were gone. In a day! But I'm glad that they got adopted. With Katie I needed to make sure the dog was nice and that they had background on it so we knew it would be a good fit. Paul wants a non-shedder and that is hard to find at a rescue but two of the three actually were. So now we are getting this guy! Not a rescue but hey, I tried! He comes basically crate trained which is awesome but I haven't had a puppy in like 30 years. Wish me luck! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitcw2z4Fr-ciAjR3IW-NQzJI8bYo6T7UWjMGpPJERORZ8EA8MG9sMqT9FRgttg2wc8arH0TyKgwG4E0Zdpxdztn0DCZPDYUS1S6hQgxDMYACh7dD1CKbKNq2MXkBj88WU86wjxP2wRrms/s960/dogo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="710" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitcw2z4Fr-ciAjR3IW-NQzJI8bYo6T7UWjMGpPJERORZ8EA8MG9sMqT9FRgttg2wc8arH0TyKgwG4E0Zdpxdztn0DCZPDYUS1S6hQgxDMYACh7dD1CKbKNq2MXkBj88WU86wjxP2wRrms/s320/dogo.jpg" width="237" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708045017146385084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291197185793712447.post-8808214136032184022021-05-12T08:34:00.002-07:002021-05-12T08:34:35.427-07:00school chef<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ36c1ttUkoAeRcTnKfDVHfXZagKLMWTgIuLNNp0t0lZATThfnybmul85ilVuIKt14F1xEONkMkWr9owetoU9WOR6p3IZ0Tcq0UA2PfFnZ7Y-eSalu19iwqqA0UQzK0BBsfIjbbahThWQ/s960/veggies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="740" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ36c1ttUkoAeRcTnKfDVHfXZagKLMWTgIuLNNp0t0lZATThfnybmul85ilVuIKt14F1xEONkMkWr9owetoU9WOR6p3IZ0Tcq0UA2PfFnZ7Y-eSalu19iwqqA0UQzK0BBsfIjbbahThWQ/w494-h640/veggies.jpg" width="494" /></a></div><br />I love this picture and for some reason it reminds me of a Seinfeld episode! <p></p><p>Katie always has fun at school, even when it involves vegetables. π</p>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708045017146385084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291197185793712447.post-31899239936824958902021-03-02T13:04:00.004-08:002021-05-12T08:35:28.758-07:00Masks and allergies<p> Well Katie's been back to school full time for awhile now. I'm not sure who is happier... </p><p>The school is very cautious and she has to wear a mask so I bought some at Ulta and have been sending her in with about 8 a day since she does drool somewhat. One day my sister pointed out that the mask Katie was wearing had naked ladies on them. I was like, "What?!" They are somewhat abstract and I was beside myself thinking about how many times Katie had worn the naked lady masks to school π I can't believe I didn't notice this! So we have since gotten some new ones and I use the naked lady ones only when I am in a rush and can't find another. This picture was at Costco. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5oqCeEKEr9rGGa2DxmzT5SIGxVYgq3Y7jmVfJDRxoTmXAMNlwtl-dhw_f9wEG5wwQVlE5dM48Py4Pf2jMO50kjDHgfS5vH5F0pt0OKmEitFtGlva7qpxFXvl8Et7ZKxiC_mZzvShl09o/s1069/masks.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1069" data-original-width="637" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5oqCeEKEr9rGGa2DxmzT5SIGxVYgq3Y7jmVfJDRxoTmXAMNlwtl-dhw_f9wEG5wwQVlE5dM48Py4Pf2jMO50kjDHgfS5vH5F0pt0OKmEitFtGlva7qpxFXvl8Et7ZKxiC_mZzvShl09o/s320/masks.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Overall we are pretty good. Katie has had her tongue sticking out pretty much constantly for probably the past two weeks. I think it's allergies. We try everything we know of to help this and it seems better when she has allergy medicine, but what a pain! Hopefully it's on it's way out. π</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708045017146385084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291197185793712447.post-75405873393053979972020-09-03T15:52:00.004-07:002020-09-03T15:52:36.695-07:00Ugh!<p> Ugh! We're hanging in there. This online school stuff is not easy. I have to be on with Katie from basically 8 am - 12 pm. Plus I do all of Paul's data entry and billing π I think I've aged 10 years in a month. And let's just say Katie has a really good aim when the target is the computer. So, I am looking forward to when this is all over and she can be at school safely and I can have spare time to do fun things like folding laundry and mopping the floors. I guess it's good we have had no visitors in a while. Overall we are healthy and safe and thankful that there are good TV shows like Can't Buy Me Love that Katie is interested in - she prefers Patrick Dempsey in his early awkward years. π</p><p>That's it for now. </p><p><br /></p>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708045017146385084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291197185793712447.post-46573462107678162232020-03-06T10:52:00.001-08:002020-03-06T11:03:02.055-08:00Hello!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Well a few days turned into about 2 months... π<br />
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In October, Paul and I went to Northwestern University to see Dr. Swanson and his lab. He showed us one of the mice that he had given Katie's mutation to and when he picked up the mouse it's legs were shaking and it clenched it's hands and feet. Paul said, "That's what Katie does!" She tends to clench her feet and used to do it with her hands somewhat, too. Not the shaking part though.<br />
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When he picks up these mice their legs shake which is not at all a normal thing for a mouse. Another thing that is different about these mice is that if you give them some paper a typical mouse will shred it and make a nest. These mice do not. However, when we got home from that trip Katie got into some paper and spent about an hour tearing it up, lol! I don't know what that's all about.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvKFAYxqimQXEC79aMnulPi3PDKX5v_0l00o8laNOKR3IdGkq2Yzors_1ibj2b-2AKz69bo7sGmK9y27mun8EJB688trCY07XaHRy2bqewjpxNrbYbHfsYsiLhyphenhyphen9VRXnfkSQoLIWqAc_Q/s1600/paper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvKFAYxqimQXEC79aMnulPi3PDKX5v_0l00o8laNOKR3IdGkq2Yzors_1ibj2b-2AKz69bo7sGmK9y27mun8EJB688trCY07XaHRy2bqewjpxNrbYbHfsYsiLhyphenhyphen9VRXnfkSQoLIWqAc_Q/s200/paper.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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It was such a good trip and we are so lucky to have such a great scientist working with us to help Katie.<br />
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He said that the hope is that in 5-10 years they may be able to change Katie's mutation using a CRISPR method. It is how they gave the mice Katie's mutation. It's not safe on humans yet, but hopefully will be in the near future. What that means for Katie we are not sure especially since she will be older when this might be able to be used. But if they can change her mutated gene it probably will help her somehow. I can only hope! Link: <a href="https://stanmed.stanford.edu/2018winter/CRISPR-for-gene-editing-is-revolutionary-but-it-comes-with-risks.html">CRISPR</a><br />
#scienceisawesome<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTz0f5yh-pjpUm5s6s4s0A0-vu4MqypIu2f-FLPgb_DA3QQLR1qSDeEOc7tS_BKDimOCdFJI3UEqvCKiwjpocaIsi0c-0QahbLMaJavCocy9rwi624VSCDS8gx3ijUCNdWe9LukEss50I/s1600/Katiebday.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTz0f5yh-pjpUm5s6s4s0A0-vu4MqypIu2f-FLPgb_DA3QQLR1qSDeEOc7tS_BKDimOCdFJI3UEqvCKiwjpocaIsi0c-0QahbLMaJavCocy9rwi624VSCDS8gx3ijUCNdWe9LukEss50I/s320/Katiebday.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708045017146385084noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291197185793712447.post-19887750580883029082020-01-10T08:38:00.001-08:002020-01-10T08:39:29.063-08:00I'm back! Briefly...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Ok, so the bald spots are gone!<br />
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I have a lot to say but it may be next week. Just been busy! Here are some cute recent pics:<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM9wzptvVo44szLcF2bPdsgvV8QcHVqORQRWbJNafB6cTC6vLiKMxVzd02mFrK8fg_-TfipBaWpyb1uXONhKR7tr8OqEQieooCm2OM9aXkuhTPphZHcpfIoX6pfwG0r7ABbujEXtoY3mE/s1600/halloween.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM9wzptvVo44szLcF2bPdsgvV8QcHVqORQRWbJNafB6cTC6vLiKMxVzd02mFrK8fg_-TfipBaWpyb1uXONhKR7tr8OqEQieooCm2OM9aXkuhTPphZHcpfIoX6pfwG0r7ABbujEXtoY3mE/s320/halloween.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Halloween 2019</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL1HNXTCBLyuhcpGKaE5uOMhOLjwQpA4Hh1I_eJVoAx9KZLxjhuMYv1jOi1SWgr3g-NN4PhCN1Nfd0BSiICzKX7uVLBriby4UpVzMiipACtoolyCxm4YY7Jow3O2p4ckOPrC_EAyFA32M/s1600/Xmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="864" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL1HNXTCBLyuhcpGKaE5uOMhOLjwQpA4Hh1I_eJVoAx9KZLxjhuMYv1jOi1SWgr3g-NN4PhCN1Nfd0BSiICzKX7uVLBriby4UpVzMiipACtoolyCxm4YY7Jow3O2p4ckOPrC_EAyFA32M/s320/Xmas.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas 2019</td></tr>
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Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708045017146385084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291197185793712447.post-10221123499923753532019-08-16T08:33:00.001-07:002019-08-16T10:51:46.927-07:00Bald spots!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I was giving Katie a bath and washing her hair and noticed two bald spots on top of her head! π YIKES!<br />
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They are each about the size of a dime and right next to each other. Of course I Googled it immediately and freaked out!<br />
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I called her naturopath doctor and he said we needed to do blood work. A few days later Katie was going to be at a dentist appointment where she would be under anesthesia, so I got it all scheduled in advance to have her blood drawn then too. Otherwise it's a fight. Thank God for this dentist: Dr. Herro!<br />
He is really so awesome beyond just letting us do blood work while she's "out". <a href="https://www.dentaloncentral.com/">https://www.dentaloncentral.com/</a><br />
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We just saw her primary doctor yesterday and Katie's labs were nothing to be concerned about so that was good news. The doc says it's tinea capitis which is basically the same thing as athlete's foot, but on the head. A fungal infection.<br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></b>
<span style="background-color: #0b5394; color: #f3f3f3;"><b style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">"Tinea capitis</b><span style="font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> is a disease caused by superficial fungal infection of the skin of the scalp, eyebrows, and eyelashes, with a propensity for attacking hair shafts and follicles The disease is considered to be a form of superficial mycosis or dermatophytosis."</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #0b5394; color: #f3f3f3;"><b style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">"Ringworm</b><span style="font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> of the scalp is not really a worm, but a fungal infection. It gets the name</span><b style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">ringworm</b><span style="font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> because the fungus makes circular marks on the skin, often with flat centers and raised borders. Also called </span><b style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Tinea capitis</b><span style="font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">, this infection affects your scalp and hair shafts, causing small patches of itchy, scaly skin."</span></span><br />
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Uggghhh! My kid has ringworm! I guess it actually sounds worse than it is, maybe that's why the Dr. called it tinea capitis π<br />
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I am going to pick up the medicine today in 2 hours and as soon as she's home from school - she's getting it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How in the heck I didn't notice this sooner is beyond me! Her hair is always in a ponytail so that probably didn't help. Poor kid. </td></tr>
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Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708045017146385084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291197185793712447.post-81789814971561902662019-06-26T11:37:00.002-07:002019-06-26T11:43:09.983-07:00Summer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Katie's been out of school since the end of May. Summer is hard for me because I still have to do data entry throughout the day for my husband and Katie can require a lot of attention. I did find a summer program for her that is 9-5 πbut the first few days were rough.<br />
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I wasn't sure if she didn't like it or didn't feel well or what as she cried the first two days when I put her in my car. Ugh, it's so hard to have to guess. Turns out she had a temp but no other symptoms the doctor could find. Also I was making a dentist appt. for her and they looked at her xrays and confirmed that she has molars coming in which probably doesn't feel good. AND... she is 13 and even though no big signs of maturing, she probably has hormones kicking in π. On top of that I think I just left her there too long so she was exhausted and went to bed at 6 the first few nights! Not that I didn't enjoy that. <br />
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So we have most of these issues under control now (except the hormone thing) and she has been better although scratched people one day. My sister reminded me that her daughter was kicked out of pre-school for biting so that made me feel better! lol!<br />
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So things are good, she is growing and doing as well as can be. Still a sweetie 99% of the time!<br />
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Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708045017146385084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291197185793712447.post-3966878898909716492019-03-20T10:37:00.001-07:002019-03-20T11:03:00.279-07:00Post Tongue Tie Release / Topamax<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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So the tongue tie and lip tie surgery was easy and quick and I love this Dr. Simms! He is so nice and he told me after surgery that her tongue got about an inch longer when he cut it. I got the feeling that he thought that that was a really good amount (he showed me with his fingers so this is an estimate). It was a very easy recovery, healed within a few days, and no real pain for her just some Tylenol for two days.<br />
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So here we are a few months or so later and we have not seen any miracles but I feel good knowing that she most likely had tension released from her head, if not her whole body, and that her tongue is longer and not restricted. With therapy, she may gain some words in the future. She did say "yeah" three times the other day appropriately, so that is a good sign in my eyes!<br />
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Katie's chiro had her own tongue tie released a few years ago and said that the older you are, the longer it takes to see results. So we will just wait and see. I think this is just my life motto now.<br />
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TOPAMAX<br />
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In the past three to four weeks I have given Katie Topamax, increasing the dosage gradually and she has been on the full dose for over a week now.<br />
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If you look this medicine up you will see all kinds of terrible side effects. Holy Cow I was nervous to give this to her especially since she can't tell me if she feels nervous, or her head feels foggy, or she has headaches or tingling sensations etc... So we tried it and she seemed ok until this past week at the full dose. She was crying for no apparent reason and I don't know if it's just hormones coming on from being 13 (oh yeah! She had a birthday!) and I didn't want to take her off of it if I wasn't sure. She was doing better at PT and babbling a lot since being on this medicine, but I wasn't sure if it's from this medicine or not. The reason we put her on it is to help her with her movements, make then smoother, and help her balance, and I didn't see any improvement with that.<br />
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A few days ago I showed her the medicine and said, "Does this help you?" "Do you like this medicine?" "Do you want this?" "Does this make your head hurt?" And she would nod her head for yes and do nothing for no, which is normal for her. Then I asked her with her device (iPad with yes/no buttons) and she pretty much summed up that she doesn't like the medicine and that it hurts her head. So I stopped it completely a few days ago and was like, "God, please let me know this is the right thing to do!" Because, really, what do I know?! π<br />
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Today, I took Katie into school a little late because she needed a surprise bath this morning π, and in the hallway one of the teachers approached us and said hi to Katie. She stopped and asked me if Katie was feeling ok as she seemed less animated and much more subdued lately. Ok! Well there was my answer!<br />
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I guess we are on the right path for now. Here's to hoping she feels much better and back to herself soon.<br />
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Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708045017146385084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291197185793712447.post-19494131594296353432019-01-23T12:43:00.000-08:002019-01-24T07:24:26.870-08:00Tongue and lip tie<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Several months ago I had the TV on and a story came on the news about a boy in Texas who has some special needs, he couldn't talk very well or say many words. He went to the dentist for a routine check up and the dentist found that he had a tongue tie. The dentist lasered it and the boy started talking that night. As you can imagine I thought and said out loud, "Maybe Katie has a tongue tie!"<br />
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A few days later I took Katie to her chiropractor <span style="color: yellow;"><a href="https://www.kidsrising.com/"><span style="color: yellow;">Rebecca Kleckner</span></a>,</span> (who I can't say enough great things about) and this story about the boy in Texas came up. She had seen the video. Looking in Katie's mouth is not an easy task (or getting through any kind of doctor appointment for that matter) but Katie laughed really big and Dr. Kleckner was able to see in her mouth. She said that she thought that she did have a tongue tie because her tongue was flat and came up on the sides, like a taco - as if something was holding it down.<br />
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<span style="color: lime;">"<u>Tongue-tie</u> (ankyloglossia) is a condition in which an unusually short, thick or tight band of tissue (lingual frenulum) tethers the bottom of the tongue's tip to the floor."</span><br />
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<span style="color: lime;">In my layman's terms: It's the thing under your tongue (frenulum) that connects your tongue to the bottom of your mouth, and it can be too tight and restrict movement which can cause speech issues and more. Sometimes it's closer to the tip of the tongue (very easy to see), sometimes it's at the back of the tongue and hard to diagnose unless someone sees it who has been trained on what to look for. The latter is what Katie has and it is called a posterior tongue tie. I'd post some pictures I googled but they make me want to pass out so I will not do that to you. Google away!</span><br />
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<a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/4508539/texas-boy-tongue-tied/"><span style="color: yellow;">Texas boy video</span></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-news-tongue-tied-texas-boy-speaks-after-treatment-20180927-story.html"><span style="color: yellow;">Texas boy story </span></a><br />
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Dr. Kleckner knew of a dentist (Dr. Ashley Bower) who travels around the area and does the tongue tie surgery with a laser, so we met with her and she confirmed that Katie does have a tongue and a lip tie.<br />
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<span style="color: lime;">"<u>Lip Tie</u> is a congenital condition wherein the presence of an abnormal frenum, between the lip and the front teeth mostly in the upper jaw, may result in pain, eating or speaking difficulties, or even cause the gum to recede. It is a common condition that is correctable through surgery, when needed." </span><br />
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My version: A lip tie is the piece of skin between your lip and gums on the top and bottom of your mouth, it can be too tight and cause problems.</span><br />
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So Katie has surgery in the next few days and I am hoping to see some results. I am not expecting her to come out talking but maybe it will, at the least, help her with more sounds. All she can say now is the m's and b's and once in a while a yeah. You don't need your tongue for those, so I have a little hope!<br />
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<b><span style="color: cyan;">"Your tongue is such a crucial part of your body. The neuromuscular system is intertwined with the brain, digestive system, neck, spine, and teeth."</span></b><br />
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<u><span style="color: lime;">Tongue Tie Developmental signs</span></u><br />
<span style="color: lime;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: lime;">* Delayed speech, problem with certain letters or sounds</span><br />
<span style="color: lime;">*Lisp</span><br />
<span style="color: lime;">*Food and texture aversions</span><br />
<span style="color: lime;">*Tooth decay</span><br />
<span style="color: lime;">*Gagging or choking</span><br />
<span style="color: lime;">*Squirreling food</span><br />
<span style="color: lime;">*Difficulty talking fast</span><br />
<span style="color: lime;">*Can't move tongue past lips</span><br />
<span style="color: lime;">*Jaw joint and posture</span><br />
<span style="color: lime;">*Jaw pain</span><br />
<span style="color: lime;">*Migraines</span><br />
<span style="color: lime;">*Neck and back pain</span><br />
<span style="color: lime;">*Forward or slumped posture</span><br />
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<span style="color: lime;"> </span><span style="color: cyan;">These procedures might help Katie with a lot of <u>her</u> issues including:</span><br />
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<span style="color: cyan;">*breathing through her mouth (it's always open)</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">*speech</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">*balance</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">*jaw tightness</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">*drooling (I think the lip-tie might help this)</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">*constipation (I can only hope π)</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">*texture aversions</span><br />
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And I wonder if it will also help with things such as not being able to purse her lips together, not really being able to lick anything, and clenching her toes most of the time. From what I've read it should instantly relieve tightness in the head, neck, and shoulders, and I bet throughout the whole body. It will be interesting to see if it helps this. I've seen videos of adults who had the tongue-tie cut who say that as soon as it was cut, they felt all of this pressure and tension leave their body. It helps with headaches too and sadly I have no idea if she has these.<br />
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We are not going the laser route because it will be an open wound that can re-attach so you have to stretch the tongue every 4-6 hours for 6 weeks afterward and if you know Katie, not going to be easy! I think they do this mostly on babies who can't kick and hit and spit at you. And adults.<br />
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So we found an excellent ENT - <span style="color: yellow;"><a href="http://www.aocphysicians.com/providers/david-simms-md"><span style="color: yellow;">Dr. Simms</span></a>,</span> who will put Katie under anesthesia and put stitches in that go away and she should be healed with no pain in 3 days - we'll see! He is also going to see if her adenoids have possibly grown back and if they have, take them out again. This can be a cause of her mouth always being open, I believe.<br />
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I am crossing my fingers and hoping some good things happen for this girl!<br />
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Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708045017146385084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291197185793712447.post-31017605326403717272019-01-16T08:05:00.001-08:002019-01-16T08:07:45.523-08:00Busy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I've been so busy with my data entry job (for Paul) that I haven't been able to find the time to write on here. I keep threatening to give my two week notice π.<br />
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Katie is having tongue-tie and lip tie surgery next week so I will write about it probably next weekend. Hers is a posterior tongue tie (in the back) so not a noticeable thing. It's fascinating what the tongue tie release can help her with, crossing my fingers! </div>
Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708045017146385084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291197185793712447.post-82842627547591275222019-01-08T14:11:00.002-08:002019-01-08T14:11:47.462-08:00Funny!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Here's a funny recent video:<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27T5WrZ3ye8"><span style="color: yellow;">throwing</span></a><br />
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I hope to have some new info tomorrow regarding Katie and will try to put it on here by Friday. </div>
Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708045017146385084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291197185793712447.post-4537817555202370552018-11-21T12:31:00.002-08:002018-11-21T12:36:39.931-08:00Thanksgiving<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: #0b5394; color: white;">Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and we put our tree up a few days ago. Out of the box and plugged in, no decorations yet. Hopefully this weekend. Ornaments are free from Katie's grasp for a few days. We have some new developments with Katie concerning a tongue and lip tie. This is very interesting and exciting and I will write about it next week. Happy Thanksgiving! </span><br />
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Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708045017146385084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291197185793712447.post-35809198924432020442018-10-26T08:42:00.000-07:002018-11-21T12:20:57.308-08:00Achoo!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Some good news about Katie and sneezes - it's always been an issue when she sneezes and is sitting at a table, her head hits the table. π© So, I have noticed in the past few weeks that she has sneezed and not hit her tray on her chair, nice!<br />
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She liked sitting at our island in a bar stool the few times I put her there and now don't feel as worried about her hitting her head on our granite, although still a bit leery of course. Baby steps. I'll be ready to grab her head if she sneezes!<br />
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I hope to be posting next week about another issue (bigger than sneezes) that could help her a lot. Waiting to hear back from the doc. Happy Friday!<br />
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<span style="color: red;">Update:</span><span style="color: red;"> Well, a few days after I posted this Katie's teacher sent a note home saying she sneezed and hit her head on the table. π Stupid Murphys Law. </span><br />
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<span style="color: red;"> I have a t-shirt that says "Repeal Murphys Law". I love that thing, thanks Mom! </span><br />
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Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708045017146385084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291197185793712447.post-90713922075794824342018-08-22T09:14:00.001-07:002018-08-22T11:48:51.328-07:00Summer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Ooooh, three months to the day of my last post. Where have I been?<br />
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So, this summer has been a bit nuts since I didn't have a day program to send Katie to. It actually went well though, and she kept busy with therapies and seeing friends occasionally etc... and thank GOD I have a great sitter! πMollyπ<br />
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Katie started Middle School about three weeks ago and it has been hell!πΉ I think it's a combination of having to wake her up early at 6 am (she sleeps like, 11 hours!) and a new school and teacher, and then top it off with a ton of crazy monsoons! Dust and wind and rain and changes to the barometric pressure... she's been cranky at home but fine at school - whatever, kid! I was giving her ibuprofen and then tried allergy medicine because who knows what's really wrong? She was pointing to her throat and head and sometimes her stomach, so throw in a bit of Pepto Bismol... it's been misery.<br />
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I was on the airplane flying home from Colorado a few weeks ago (just me) and a girl sitting next to me who had a fussy baby put some essential oils on him and he calmed down immediately. I have used them before but you know, you kind of forget about them. I told her about Katie and how she was acting up and she told me what to use on her. So when I got home I called my friend who sells these and she hooked me up with one for allergies - a lemon, peppermint, lavender combo and also straight lavender for calming.<br />
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As soon as Katie got home that day I put her in the tub, still cranky as can be. Not happy and hitting her hands on things, in the tub, sometimes me. Got her out, dried her off, and put the allergy combo on her feet and a drop in her mouth and slathered some lavender oil on her chest and amazingly within five minutes she was just fine, playing on the floor with not a care in the world. And she's been great ever since! No more medicine lately just these oils, it's really incredible.<br />
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Our business is seasonal and gets very busy during monsoon season. We keep an eye on the weather and this season has had a lot of storms and busier than any other year, lots of rain and wind. I do the data entry and billing (and I look outside!) so I know how busy it is, and this weather change seems to affect these kids with special needs.<br />
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I am so glad I met that girl on the plane and that I have a great friend here who rushed over those oils, thanks Leslie! Katie now grabs the rollerball of the oil and rubs it on herself, she's a fan! And a happy kid again. Whew.<br />
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Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708045017146385084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291197185793712447.post-70484080413307185042018-05-22T16:22:00.000-07:002018-05-22T16:22:02.563-07:00CBD<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Oh Man, I can't catch up!π<br />
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Not sure if it's because of Teacher Appreciation week last week, or the fact that Katie was off an extra week due to Red 4 Ed the week before that, or maybe it's just that Paul and I are trying to watch the last season of Lost (been watching since January) and staying up too late! Yes I know we are 14 years behind the times but what a good series! I'm going to be so sad when it's over. I think John Locke is my favorite...<br />
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Katie is doing well. Our new thing we are trying is CBD Oil. It is not any kind of drug and contains no THC, but it is from "the" plant. Anyone can buy it, and it seems to be helping her movements not be as jerky and she seems happier overall. We'll see what comes of that. She is also sleeping well but she usually does anyway. If your child has seizures it is supposed to help that, too.<br />
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This is going to be short today but thought I'd better let all my superfans know we are still alive and kicking! π </div>
Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708045017146385084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291197185793712447.post-76593365057953133942018-03-23T13:18:00.003-07:002018-03-23T13:18:35.561-07:00Birthday<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Katie turned 12, it's going by so fast!<br />
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She is doing great and sees the chiropractor every week, which I thinks helps her feel good and in alignment (she cracks a lot!) and seems to be helping her jaw issue that I freaked out about over Christmas break - her bite was way off. Still not perfect but so much better. Happy kid!<br />
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Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708045017146385084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291197185793712447.post-59005742986558563632018-03-01T09:41:00.000-08:002018-03-01T09:41:45.313-08:00February<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Where did February go? Oh yeah, I was sick with a terrible cold and then Katie got sick also, and I think the whole month of February was spent sleeping and coughing and blowing noses!<br />
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Nothing worse than being sick and needing to sleep (A LOT!) and then your kid gets sick too. So hard! Thank God Paul could help out but he works (a lot) and it was just really rough. Poor Katie had 4 days of not eating anything at all and I was putting my Isagenix shake down her with a syringe. Thankfully she has her appetite back!<br />
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We both went to the doctor and it was just a bad bad cold, no flu but it was horrible. Of course Paul had no flu shot and hasn't had one cough or sniffle, figures! <br />
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So we are pretty much back to normal and I am sure many of you can relate, but having a non-verbal child being sick while you are sick was the worst. Hoping this never happens again and I may just celebrate being well again tonight π·<br />
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Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708045017146385084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291197185793712447.post-6624957097421077222018-01-11T10:21:00.002-08:002018-01-11T12:11:40.760-08:00Bite<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Katie's bite has been off for awhile, like a year or so. Around Christmas I was looking at her teeth and noticed that one bottom tooth was turning a little. I freaked out and started looking up who might see her for this - for her bite being off. I had already just recently asked her dentist and asked her previous dentist six months ago, and both said there was nothing to do about it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Her bite had all of the sudden gotten more extremely "off" than it had been the last year so I started Googling who might be able to help her. I saw a video of a chiropractor adjusting a kid's jaw so I started looking up pediatric chiropractors and found one who also does neuro-chiropractic services and her office is like a kid's gym, perfect! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">I took Katie to her right away (that day) and she asked if Katie had had a growth spurt recently. Ummm... YEAH!!!!!! Nothing fits the kid! She said something to the effect of the growth spurt causing this, that if she is not in the right alignment and grows, she uses that bite to feel more balanced and grounded - something like that. Don't quote me! I ran this by my physical therapist neighbor and she said that totally made sense. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">So Dr. Kleckner adjusted Katie and man, was she out of alignment! Bones cracking like crazy! We have been back since and there is less cracking, which is great, her body is becoming in better alignment. She also incorporates some neuro stuff which is pretty interesting and even told me that the white lines on Katie's nails means she is low in Zinc. So I give her liquid zinc and it must taste pretty good cause she sucks it down. The lines seem to be growing out! The zinc may help her sensory issues too and how amazing would it be to not have a screaming kid every time I brush her teeth?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> I love this chiropractor! <a href="http://www.kidsrising.com/">http://www.kidsrising.com/</a> Check out her website, good info! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">So she did not crack Katie's jaw like the guy in the video I watched, but she thinks her jaw will get better as she is better aligned. Here is a picture of her bite a few weeks ago, and it is definitely not this bad now. And also her fingernails with the white lines. </span><br />
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Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708045017146385084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291197185793712447.post-48598903137430342652018-01-10T11:03:00.001-08:002018-01-10T11:12:02.167-08:00winter pic<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I have so much to talk about but it might have to wait another day! In the meantime...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> As long as I have my furry vest on it's all good. </td></tr>
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Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708045017146385084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291197185793712447.post-56581307743636048752017-12-20T14:29:00.003-08:002017-12-20T14:36:15.527-08:00Fundraiser <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: #0b5394; color: white; font-size: x-small; font-weight: normal;">Update on my fundraiser! If you haven't seen my video click on this link: <a href="http://bit.ly/2BU2ATi">http://bit.ly/2BU2ATi</a> </span></h3>
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Almost $10,000 Raised</span></h3>
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<span class="update-number-dt" style="background-color: #0b5394; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; font-size: 12px;">December 20, 2017</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #0b5394; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">A huge thank you to everyone for your thoughtfulness and generosity during this holiday season! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #0b5394; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Because of you, we have raised nearly $10,000 to support Dr. Swansonβs research. We are hoping to make our goal of $25,000 by the end of the year. Donations are 100% tax deductible, and the gifts go directly to Dr. Swansonβs research to discover how Katie's genetic alteration causes nervous systems to develop in slightly different patterns. He will tackle this difficult challenge in part supported by your generous donations. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #0b5394; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">This research has the potential to shed light on this rare gene mutation not only for Katie, but for others as well. Thank you again! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #0b5394; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Happy Holidays, </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #0b5394;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: white; line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The Murphy</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: white; line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">s</span></span></div>
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Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708045017146385084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291197185793712447.post-78202045101245975972017-12-12T09:06:00.002-08:002017-12-12T09:20:12.904-08:00Mice<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Great news! We have mice! It took over a year but Dr. Swanson was able to produce a mouse with Katie's same mutation and then breed it, so now he has lots of Katie mice. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">One of the first tests they conducted was to have a normal (wildtype) mouse and a Katie mouse walk along the edge of a cage. He explains below about the struggles the mutated mouse has which just blows me away! I can't get over that these mice are actually showing a symptom in movement like Kate has. So incredible! See pictures below. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Also, if you haven't seen my 2 minute video here it is: <a href="http://bit.ly/2C78BsP">http://bit.ly/2C78BsP</a></span><br />
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<span style="color: white; font-size: x-small;">From Dr. Swanson: </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: white;">"Figuring out the cellular and circuit rearrangements that result from rare genetic variants like Katie's is challenging and requires the use of model systems like mice. Mice are by far the most common animal model for human genetic disorders in part because their genome can be modified reliably with powerful editing technology. We introduced into mice the same nucleotide variant that Katie has in her GRIK2 gene. We call the this new strain "GluK2(A657T)" mice. The A and T simply refers to the change in amino acid structure (A/alanine to T/threonine) of the GluK2 protein that results from the <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">GRIK2</span>β genetic variation. We expect the amino acid change to fundamentally alter the signaling of kainate receptors that contain the GluK2 protein, which are important for early development of the central nervous system.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: white;">What were we hoping to see in the GluK2(A657T) mice? Most importantly, we were hoping that the mice would show some of the same behaviors that Katie exhibits. If this occurs, then we say the mouse strain has "face validity" - that is, it actually does model some aspects of the human disorder. We always have to keep in mind that mice are not humans, and mouse brains are not nearly as complex and powerful as human brains. Not all mouse models show face validity for their associated human disorders. Thankfully, many mouse models do recapitulate features of human genetic disorders, which is what in part makes them powerful research tools. We can use behavioral tests to guide us to the parts of the brain that can be most effectively analyzed for changes in nervous system development.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: white;">The first set of data we have obtained from the GluK2(A657T) mice suggest that they do indeed have face validity for at least one aspect of Katie's genetic disorder. These pictures show that the <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">GluK2(A657T)</span> mice have a difficult time performing a routine task - walking along the edge of their cage. Walking on the "ledge" requires balance, muscle strength, and control of fine and coarse muscles. The fact that the GluK2(A657T) mice perform poorly on this simple task suggests that they have a motor disorder known as "ataxia" - like Katie.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: white;">We are just at the beginning of this analysis but are very encouraged by these data. Our hope and expectation is that the GluK2(A657T) mice will lead us to new insights into the neurodevelopmental basis of Katie's disorder as well as in other children with similar genetic disruptions."</span></span><br />
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Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708045017146385084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291197185793712447.post-88012081140512183032017-10-31T12:24:00.001-07:002017-10-31T15:55:09.447-07:00Halloween and Video<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Happy Halloween!<br />
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I've been a bit busy with the following - please check out my video link!<br />
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<a href="http://bit.ly/2z1dUsL">http://bit.ly/2z1dUsL</a><br />
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And a cute video of Katie dressed up! <a href="https://youtu.be/r3LcEXc7h-E">Cowgirl</a></div>
Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708045017146385084noreply@blogger.com0