Do something!

I read Tired Mummy on occasion and she put together a most poignant, difficult post today. See it here and be prepared to cry and get angry. And then do something. Do something for Patrick, your own children and the children of parents who are completely overwhelmed by the horrors of war.

We have got to stop being complacent in this country.

Toy update

I called the daycare. They told me that they order all their toys and equipment from Discount School Supplies. I called them and spoke with a manager. This is what I found out. They use independent labs to test toys they want to sell. I requested that they e-mail me the names of the labs so that I can verify this as fact. The manager was very nice about my paranoia and took my e-mail address. He said he would also scan in a company statement about the things they do to make sure their toys are safe. They do not order toys from Fisher-Price or Mattel, in the first place. I have been through the lists and Patrick doesn't have anything from the lists of toys recalled but I don't want to risk it. Let me put it this way, when dog food was being recalled, we cooked Bette's meals from scratch following directions from our vet and the AKC until we located a food made in the USA for her. Wouldn't we do absolutely anything for Patrick?

We have gotten too comfortable in this country with paying the lowest price on an item without enough regard for quality, safety, and whether or not the workers in other countries are treated well. It is time this stopped. I heard an interview with Robert Reich the other day (Sec of Labor under Clinton) and he said that we have become a super-capitalist society which has the effect of undermining democracy and added that we will never become socially-concious consumers unless our country regulates it. He's right. En masse, we will continue to buy the cheapest whatever unless the government steps in and stops some of this nonsense. I am a true Democrat. Bring on the legislation because we are just miserable sinners without a law.

No Toys from China

Patrick is blessed to have wonderful grandparents and godparents who love him and give him toys. I hate to do this but I have to. There is too much evidence to suggest that more and more toys from China are going to be recalled for toxicity. What gets me going is that we may have toys or bibs in this house which have toxic chemicals but just haven't been tested. So, I just cannot let Patrick play with anything from China. For our part, Jesse and I are going to read labels very carefully from now on and only buy him toys made here (hey, it's better for our economy anyway) or in Western Europe. It turns out that even Barbie has lead paint. Also, I thought that the smooth plastic toys were immune until I saw some Sesame Street toys recalled. They are just like some of the smooth plastic toys Patrick has and loves but we just can't take the risk. There are too many people/companies in former communist countries (and current ones like China) who do not give a flying flip about other people and/or don't know the risk their lack of regulations pose when it comes to toys or prescription medications or dog food.

Don't know what I am going to do about Patrick being in day care. They already think I am crazy.

Here are just a few links I picked up today about toxic toys:

http://money.cnn.com/2007/08/30/news/companies/crayon_recall/index.htm?postversion=2007083010

http://money.cnn.com/2007/09/05/news/companies/mattel_recall/index.htm?cnn=yes

http://money.cnn.com/2007/08/14/news/companies/china_recalls/index.htm?postversion=2007081413

For information about toxicity in plastic toys go here:

http://www.mothering.com/articles/growing_child/consumerism/toxic_toy_story.html

Thought lead paint was only on wooden toys? Wrong!! Those smooth plastic toys have levels of lead, too, and little ones put their mouths on them.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/08/13/china.toymaker.ap/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

Lyme Positive

This post is way overdue but then I saw that people with whom I don't have regular contact are reading and so an explanation is due. Patrick does have Lyme Disease. The first set of tests were inconclusive/negative but the second set was positive. We got those results in the second week of August and had a spinal tap that night. It had a high white cell count and, according to both our ped and the infectious disease specialist (a wonderfully gentle man who reminds me of Mr. Rogers meets Yale), the thing to do was to admit him to Fairfax Hostpital and start IV antibiotics and then move him to a PICC line. He has been home with the PICC line for 3.5 weeks, had handled the meds very well and get his line pulled this Thursday. In a week he can have his 1 year vaccinations and then return to day care (THANK GOD!!!). We got the third set of Lyme tests back after we started treatment and they were positive as well. We are thankful that nothing truly serious is going on and that the disease was caught early. BTW: he is the youngest reported case in the state.

Birthday Cake

These pictures say it all....

Smile!

Patrick can smile again. In a fraction of the time we were told to allow, Patrick smiles almost like his old self again. The BP is still there but very subtle. All that in only a week. I would have pictures for you all but our camera is on the fritz. We are still going to get a second Lyme test as these things are so darn inaccurate. The first was inconclusive and the second was negative but that's only with an 80% accuracy rate. Not good enough for our Little Pat.

Note to grandmas: there won't be any pictures for a while until we either get the camera fixed or buy a new one. In the event we have to buy a new one, it could take quite a while.

Bell's Palsy

Wednesday night was quite scary for our little family. I noticed throughout the day that Patrick's smile was a bit crooked but thought he was just smirking. One of his eyes closed more than the other but thought he got a bit of Bette hair in it. I almost thought it was something more serious but then everyone tells me I worry too much.

Right before Jesse got home, Patrick was crying about something -- totally ordinary cry.

Except that...

Only one side of his mouth was moving and only one eye was closing. One side of his face was paralyzed. Jesse walked into the house, saw this and we told each other. ER. Now!

So we get to the ER thinking our baby is having a stroke or has a brain tumor and they usher us into a room. The doc comes thought not as swiftly as I would have liked (okay, Patrick was acting happy).

Turns out it's Bell's Palsy. At some point here recently, Patrick contracted a virus (or maybe Lyme disease) without us knowing. He had some elevations in temp and had been a bit fussy but the ped and I both thought it was teething as neither was severe. She did take a throat culture and it was negative. The inflammation from the virus caused swelling of cranial nerve #7 which is housed in a small, bony canal. When that happened, the myelin sheath, which protects the nerves, was damaged. In adults this is treated with steroids but in peds that doesn't work and therefore the benefits do not outweigh risks.

85% chance he will recover completely. 10% this will show up when he is tired or stressed. 5% that it will not go away. I wonder what the recovery rate is for infants/children is because they are not treated. This does not have anything to do with the brain. I have seen it reported that children recover well from this. Guess 'cause they are still growing and regenerating more than us geezers.

Truly this is such a small thing but my heart breaks a little more each time I see him smile or cry and only one side of his face moves.