A Quick Deena Update

Saturday, the day after Deena's surgery, she was pretty tired and puffy still.  She stayed awake most of the day, wanting to spend time with her siblings and dad, but you could tell she wasn't feeling amazing.

We talked about doing a blood transfusion because her levels were still on the lower side.  The doctor left it up to me to chose, so I asked to give her another day and see how she did.  He agreed so I just watched her closely.  She only needed oral pain medication; she's so tough!  Physical therapy came and evaluated her and then we ordered a temporary wheelchair with elevating leg lifts, which came in late Saturday night.  Other than Deena feeling well, it was the big "thing" she needed to be able and go home when she was ready.  I always appreciate being prepared to discharge and not having anything holding you up!  I also realized her leg wasn't going to fit in her carseat, so David ran to grab a high-back booster from our friends.   

By Sunday, Deena was a different kid.  She was more awake, talkative, and energetic.  She wanted to take a walk and go to the Playroom, did lots of crafts, her appetite was up, her swelling was down, and she was very eager to get home.  We were discharged Sunday and she was SO excited to be heading home.

Deena has been doing well since coming home.  She is taking her oral pain meds, but has minimal pain when she is on them.  She isn't waking up and asking for medicine, so I can tell she is feeling better.  She's also been more active and I've already reminded her that she just had surgery and should take it a little easy.  She does still have a temperature of about 99 degrees, so I'm keeping an eye on that (she's had a higher temp since surgery).  The doctor put her on iron to help rebuild her system, and I've doubled her Juice Plus supplements to help her heal. 

Deena is doing well in the booster seat.  I rolled a small blanket to go under her cast and that seems to keep the pressure off well.  We were able to take a small trip Tuesday to eat lunch with my brother, since we haven't seen him for a bit, and she did great with no pain.  It was good to hug him and spend time with him, and Deena enjoyed some down-time in the car to play I-pad. 

Deena's Spica-type splint will stay on for about 3 1/2 -4 weeks.  The orthopedic surgeon is going to help me undo it all in his office after that and see how she is doing and healing.  At that point, he will determine what kind of splints she will go in to, and for how long.  If she's doing well, I may be able to remove those temporarily to bathe her, and then put them back on.  For now, though, it's sponge baths and hair washing in the sink.  I can't wait to see how straight her legs are. 

I think that's about it for now!  Thanks for all of the prayers for our sweet, strong girl.  We really appreciate them!

Our New Whole Foods Supplement... Juice Plus+

I'm always on the lookout for high-quality supplements for my kiddos.  I have tried so many different things but I either have a hard time getting them to take them, or they will take them but the nutrients fall short.  Of course I would love if they would just eat the diet I know they need and didn't need any supplements, but well, we are still working on that one.  Then you add in that our produce now days, even when it is organic, falls very short on nutrients, and it becomes even harder to get your kiddos what they need.

After watching Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, as well as Food Inc. and Food Matters on Netflix, I have been even more fired up about trying to build up our bodies with micronutrients and nutrient-dense foods.  We eat almost completely organic, buy local grass-fed beef and organic free-range chicken, eat only wild-caught fish, eat organic produce, limit sugars, starches, and refined carbs, and we don't eat many processed foods.  Because I can't get my kiddos to eat many vegetables and Madi won't eat fruits or veggies unless I chop them very, very tiny and hide them in her spaghetti, I always felt my kids were not getting what they needed.   I love juicing, and think that's a great way to get micronutrients, but I honestly hate cleaning the juicer, and don't don't juice as much as I should.  Even when I do, Madi and Ramya won't drink it, so that doesn't help them.

On the spina bifida groups I'm on people kept talking about Juice Plus and how it's helped them to keep UTIs away, stay out of the doctor's office, to be infection-free, etc....  The girls do great with not getting UTIs (thanks to cranberry extract and d-mannose), but I always worry about keeping Madi's immune system up so she doesn't come down with something and have a seizure.  I also try so hard to build up Ramya's  system since I am sure she is so depleted from years of inadequate nutrition.  Conner does pretty well and doesn't get sick often, but he's not a veggie eater for sure.  Poor David gets sick every time anyone around us does, and he always has a hard time kicking it.  I know he could use an immune system boost.  I almost never get sick, but with 3 kiddos, and 2 of those kiddos having disabilities, well, I just don't have time to be sick at all!   I decided to try it for our family and so far we are loving it!  Even Madi, who gags fruits and veggies and won't eat many different textures, will eat them and likes them.  They have a child's study they are conducting and if you participate, and purchase an adult juice plus, your child gets Juice Plus for free (you have to purchase an adult juice plus set, but then one child per adult gets their juice plus covered.  David and I each get the supplements so two kiddos get their supplements free and then we pay for the third child's supplements.  David LOVES that they have chewables for adults and talks about how much he loves them :)).

Just to be clear, I do NOT think Juice Plus should be a substitute for high-quality fruits and vegetables, and I'll keep chopping those veggies and hiding them, but it is a great supplement to help you get to where you should be.  David and I eat a lot of vegetables, but I think it's important for us too, as it helps fill in the gaps. 

If you would like to read the clinical research on Juice Plus you can go to....

http://jveprek.juiceplus.com/content/JuicePlus/en/clinical-research/juice-plus-clinical-research.html#.U_A-1s90ztQ

Here is a video about how Juice Plus is made...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?index=3&list=PLC3386EAEA57BA722&v=jzWHTGc9Wmc&app=desktop

And a great summary from Dr. Sears, whom I love...

http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/health-concerns/childhood-illnesses/benefits-of-juice-plus


I signed up to sell Juice Plus because I wanted to earn the money back on our own purchases (you do not get a discount if you sign up, but it's $50 a year and we earned that $50 back on our first purchase by signing up to sell it) so that I can use that money back towards our future purchase.  I can see our family using it long-term.  If you would like to try juice plus, please let me know!  Here's a link to our Juice Plus store...

http://jveprek.juiceplus.com       

I'll keep you updated at how we are liking it.  Please let me know if you have any questions :).



http://jveprek.juiceplus.com