It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.....

....just ask Michele and he'll tell you how wonderful it is to have peace and quiet again! Ask me and I'll tell you that I'm back to the bane of my existence, pulling kids out of bed every morning by their hair and spending my evening hours screaming over and over again, "If you don't go finish your homework right this minute I'll......(fill in the blank)".

This year I have promised myself that I will keep a very positive attitude (in fact I'm trying this new credo with all aspects of my life with varying results but we can hold that topic for a later post) about Max's school situation. I'm always nervous the first weeks of a new school year as everyone settles in, especially with teachers who have Max in class for the first time. I'm no dummy, he can be a handful and I worry about that. Obviously after the summer we have had this is particularly true this year as Max has so many restrictions and a new, special list of "dos and don'ts". I imagine that if I find the list overwhelming it must be even more so for new teachers and school nurses will feel about it.

Having said all of this I have a little secret…..so far I am really pleased with everything. Max’s new teacher and school nurse seem great, truly concerned about him and his well-being, and dedicated to making this a great year for him. Hey, maybe this positive attitude thing is working!

First day of Junior Year -- how did that happen?

Ellie's traditional first day of school pose with her dog.

Not so sure about the Fifth Grade.....

First to class, guaranteed to not happen again for the rest of the year....

We can only hope this is to be a prophecy!

Medical Update

Yes, we’re still here. And, yes, I owe a very long overdue update but maybe no news is good news? (Written on Monday, July 25th …..)

OK, I have to admit that I started this post days ago but the phone started ringing and I found myself in the middle of another one of our “fire drills”. The first call was an extremely excited hematologist from Hopkins and the second was an equally excited cardiologist from Phoenix Children’s. The hysteria was based around the lab results for Max’s Coumadin level taken precisely 15 minutes earlier. It seems that his INR level (the number that indicates the blood’s clotting time) was critically high so the clinic immediately called both doctors. After talking to the doctors we realized that the types of numbers Max had were so high they were either a “false positive” (best case scenario) or a very possible bleeding risk (worst case scenario). At this point any fall, cut, or even scrap or bump could cause a life threatening bleed.

In typical fire drill fashion, Michele immediately flew out the door to have Max’s blood redrawn all the time praying that the results would indicate the best case scenario. But I think we all have a clear idea of how our luck runs, within a few minutes we knew it was not a false positive and all that remained to do was to decide if Max needed “reversal therapy” which would have meant a hospital admit or if we could just hold his Coumadin for a day or two and let things settle out on their own. Because Max showed no signs of bleeding, either externally or internally, and because we had since wrapped him in bubble wrap and duct taped him to the sofa in order to keep him still and safe (yes, I’m exaggerating no calls to Child Protective Services please), we were allowed to stay home, withhold the Coumadin for two days, and return on Saturday for a level check.

Saturday morning’s INR check revealed that Max’s blood levels were now just on the low side but no longer critical. Yet another fire drill comes to a safe and successful end. I left the hospital after the lab results came through and went directly to get my hair dyed, after the week we had I certainly must have sprouted an extra gray hair or two…..

Things have settled down again and the kids are getting ready to start school next week. We all feel like we’ve had no summer break whatsoever and the fact of the matter is we really didn’t. Between the month in Baltimore and the constant back and forth to doctor’s appointments, labs, and assorted other medical follies since we’ve been home there has been no down time for any of us.

The fun just never ends at the Marangella household……