In Which Connor Is Fitted For Some Wheels And Has A Flair For The Dramatic

Connor had a pretty busy day today!

We woke up to about three inches of snow on the ground, and we're supposed to have a whole bunch more tomorrow-- up to twelve inches in what could apparently end up being the worst snowstorm here since 1985.  Connor's school was canceled this morning, so he got the chance to sleep in. 

And yes, I know that for all you hardcore Canadians and Easterners, a foot of snow isn't all that bad.  But nobody here is exactly prepared for that amount of snow, so people are completely freaking out about it. 

Anyway, we braved the snow this afternoon and drove down to the local hospital, where Connor had measurements done to convert his chair for long sitting (where you sit with your legs straight out from your body) so that he'll be stretching out his hamstrings whenever he sits in it.  Then we talked about getting him an adaptive floor sitter too, so he can play down with his friends whenever he has a play date.  And then finally it was time to talk about ordering his new adaptive tricycle!

Connor's long outgrown the Radio Flyer trike that we modified for him a couple of years ago-- his knees are all up around his ears if we try to put him on it.  Since it's pretty well impossible to find a bigger bike that will adapt well to modification, it's time to switch to a bike made specifically for children with special needs that will grow with Connor as he gets older.  It's practically the only physical activity that really motivates the little guy to work hard-- he loves riding and when we tried out a bike at the hospital today he was actually able to start it moving forward by himself!  So we'll be ordering him a trike from Rifton.  I'll let you know how it handles when it comes.

Shortly after we got home from our appointment I got a phone call from Connor's doctor.  The cultures they took of his impetigo came back positive for both a strep and a staph infection, because the little guy doesn't do anything by halves.  Also one of the infections cultured as resistant to the antibiotic we've had him on. 

Bactrim, the antibiotic that did wipe it out and thus is the one we're switching to, could potentially interact with one of Connor's heart medications and give him hyperkalemia (high potassium levels).  Normally that side effect only happens if someone is on the medication for a long period of time, so it's not very likely it will be a problem because Connor only has to take it for ten days.  They're being really cautious though, because hyperkalemia can do some really, really nasty things, like, um, stopping your heart. 

So when we picked up the Bactrim we also got a baseline potassium level drawn, and while he's on it we'll be checking Connor's pulse rate at least once a day and taking him back in for another test if it starts getting slow or irregular, and also if he starts throwing up a lot or seems really weak or tired.  Whee!

Seriously, it's like living with my own miniature soap opera, only with fewer serial killers and alien abductions. 

~Jess