It has been quite a while since we have written or updated or really gave into what all has been happening.
A lot has happened in the past 9 months. We have moved into a new rental. While it is not ideal, it is at least alright for now. We are hoping that if it happens, we will be able to possibly buy a house and not move into another rental. Possibly even get one built. Who knows. That is a long time on the horizon.
While looking through the mess, we are finding tiny blessings in the darkness. We have been through almost all seasons now after dealing with this. We started out in winter, but in a safe haven. We stayed at my parents for about 4 months. While I was still very sick, Ireland and Jesse were on the mend. (or so we thought). I however, was still having a rough go. As the weather started to change into spring, I was able to get the inflammation in my chest and lungs to go down and finally be able to recuperate a little. My parents did a lot of helping with Ireland while I could not always be present. we moved into the new place early spring and tried to start over. However much you always say "I need to declutter".. trust me.. mold is not the way to do it. I looked around when we first moved in, wondering what had happened. The entire place was now empty. All of our furniture was gone. All of our things, ruined. All of our possessions either old or new, gone. My daughters room was pretty much trashed. She had a few hard surface toys that could be saved, but majority gone. Cherished photo albums and books, destroyed. Our clothes.. gone. We had a washing machine that could handle full loads- however, it only washed a total of 2 pairs of adult jeans and 10 shirts total on a 4 day rotating basis. My effects from pneumonia seemed to finally pass as the weather got warmer, but it didn't help with my breathing. Two fold...
The summer was pretty hard. Asthma is a new found territory for us. The 3 of us are beyond to even know how to handle it. Taking it 1 day and lesson at a time, we work through it. Maryland summer's with the humidity is pretty brutal. And going in and out of an air conditioned house into heat and humidity, does a number on lungs and the respiratory track. It was pretty rough. While Jesse did not show signs in later winter or spring of asthma...it did rear its ugly head come summertime. He felt the full effects. The onset of breathing issues rammed against him full on without notice. I ended up having to share my inhaler with him because he had no relief. He would become so distraught, because at times, he didnt even know he was having an asthma attack (none of us are really getting it yet when it gradually onsets) and all of a sudden he was leaning forward trying to breathe. While we have some of it controlled through abuterol when the moment comes, we don't have it all controlled completely yet. Yet, our family did remember. We STILL had our family. We love each other and know that if we stick together we can make it.
Fall has come and gone. During that time we made visits to the pulmonolgist for Ireland along with pediatrician visits. SO MUCH LOST TIME AT DOCTORS. Sigh. Lots of getting off work, missing time, etc just to go after possible helps against everything that came from the mold environment that we were in. She went from one cortieosteriod to the next. Flovent to Ventolin to Flovent to now Symbicort. The big guns were brought out because of the recurrent ant use over the summer of albuterol. See, albuterol is just to have as a rescue. You should not have to use it more than 1x a week or 2-3x's per MONTH unless you are in the stages of a respiratory track infection. However, her lungs have not bounced back as quickly as we thought.they would. BUT she is still improving. Almost a year later and she is still on the up and up. Just taking longer than anticipated.
Myself, as of last week, the weather got COLD. As in old man winter has decided he wanted to show up early. SO with his bluster, he has also brought the issue of cold to warm air, and vice versa. NOT a good combo. So, last week, I had to shuttle myself to the doctors and was once again put on steroids and an antibiotic, as my upper area was not functioning right. LUCKILY it was caught in time so it did not go into pneumonia. But let me tell you- again to the asthma deal, I did not ever think that a person with asthma and a cold did not mix well. I did not realize how much more a cold can affect someone with asthma vs the normal person without a lung issue. What upsets me the most I think, is that my daily life has changed. Where I was once running around like a chicken, or enjoying going on walks and hikes on trails, I now sit here and go "how the hell am I having an asthma attack and its less than 50% humidity in the house and....".... and and and.. the list goes on. We had to get a dehumidifier for the house- because we have to keep a percentage in the house lower than 50% to make the air breathable. Who does that on a normal basis? Seriously.
SO- with thanksgiving upon us, I will end on the issue of complaint and really try and focus on what matters. We are together. We have heat and food in our bellys. We have overcome a lot and have been able to rebuild either ourselves or through people who love us. We are blessed with friends who take it upon themselves to do things without even thinking about it. We literally had someone come and blow leaves off of our lawn- because they didnt want mold to be around. Seriously? That is awesome. We have our families who back us 100 times over. We have an awesome lawyer who knows her stuff, and will fight for us. We have many blessings that have happened and I am sure will continue to happen. Are we back on our feet yet? No. It has been quite the toll on the checkbook and doctors.. but- we are okay.
We are okay...
