One Last Update...

It's official. Once a blood test comes back saying you have the mumps virus, by law, the Doctor has to report it to the Health Department. After getting your first blood test after showing symptoms of mumps, you have to get another blood test two weeks later. Until that one comes back you are just a "possible" mumps case in the state of Utah, just in case you happened to have a false positive. If the second blood test comes back positive, you are a "confirmed" mumps case in the State of Utah. Damon's second blood test came back yesterday "Positive". After talking to the Health Department, I thought I would just let everyone know that Damon is the FIRST Mumps Case Reported in the State of Utah in 5 Years! How that happens I know not! I am guessing someone out there doesn't believe in immunizations or doctors, and their child didn't get taken in once he/she started showing symptoms. Damon still has a little lump under his right jaw, but is doing excellent. With time that lump is supposed to go away! He has been such a sport through all this.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?????

Yesterday morning (one week after taking Damon to the doctor and being told he has a bacterial infection that is NOT contagious) I got a phone call at 8:30 in the morning. Who from you ask? Well it was Damon's doctor letting me know that he had just seen Damon's extensive blood test results that had come back to them on Monday evening and guess what?! It's the MUMPS!!! Seriously, who gets the mumps anymore? Yes... Damon has been vaccinated. Apparently there is still a 5% chance that once you have been vaccinated you can still get the mumps. Now, get this.... Once you show the symptoms for mumps, you are supposed to be held in isolation for 5 days so you don't expose anyone else! Well, last Tuesday the Good Doctors assured me that Damon didn't have mumps, and he had absolutely nothing contagious. His 5 day isolation period would have been up as of last Saturday.... but whereas we didn't think Damon had anything to worry about he still went to preschool, played with all his cousins, attended church.... you know, all the normal things. SO this is my formal apology to everyone. I had no idea... I again put my trust in the doctors! Anyways, that was just my... "are you freaking kidding me" moment of the week. Damon is doing well. He still has a hard lump under his right jaw, but other than that seems to feel fine. By tomorrow he is no longer contagious at all, and then he just waits the dang disease out... not that it seems to be bothering him at all. Moral of the story... if your kid starts swelling at their jawline and it gets as big as a baseball within 15 minutes, accompanied by a fever.... take them to the doctor, and demand a Mumps test!

**Oh ya, not to mention Damon didn't even need the day after day after day antibiotic shots in his legs!

Damon's Sad Day

As told by Damon...
February 10, 2009

7:00 A.M. - Wake up and hang out with Dad while he gets ready for work

7:30 A.M. - Mom gets her lazy butt out of bed to get me some breakfast and hang out with me before preschool

9:00 A.M. - Preschool Starts. FUN DAY!!!

10:45 A.M. - Having a fun time, preschool is about to end, getting coats and boots and backpacks ready for parents to come pick the other kids up. (At this point I am still perfectly normal!!!)

11:00 A.M. - Head upstairs to go outside. Mom puts on my coat, and as she does, asks me what I am hiding in my mouth. I say nothing, so she grabs it, and I start crying.

11:10 A.M. - Mom is frantically looking at WEBMD and making phonecalls.... Then takes some pictures of me.
2:30 P.M. - We go to the Dr. A lot of things start happening to me. I get some bloodwork done in my arm. That HURT! They needed the bloodwork to rule out MUMPS. Then I had an ultrasound done on my jaw. That was needed to rule out a TUMOR or ABSCESS TOOTH. My bloodwork came back and I have a severe Parotid Bacterial Infection. So what do you think they did next.... Thats right... the most painful shot in my thigh! It was so painful infact, that for about 4 hours after having it, I don't want to walk, and don't even think about touching me!

4:15 P.M. - We finally pulled in back home from the Dr. I just laid on my mom and moaned and groaned about the pain of my leg and mouth.

***Damon should be gettng better soon. This is a non contagious infection and the doctor and I don't really have any idea where it came from. As of today (approx 30 hours later) Damon's jaw is still swollen and hard as a rock, but seems to be coming down a little bit in size. He did have to go to the Doctor again today for another shot in his other thigh (at moments now he refuses to walk at all from the pain), and is supposed to go again tomorrow afternoon. The poor kid has endured enough!

Damon Scissor... er... sock... Hands

Once again, Damon fell sleep. This time not in a super weird location or anything... no no... This time, he fell asleep with socks on his hands and pudding on his face. That's my boy... Not a care in the world. He is wearing socks on his hands due to not being able to find his mittens that he would love to wear everywhere, everyday... and the pudding on his face... well, that is just my laziness, not washing it off before he fell asleep.

Oh, and check out the super cool outfit he put together for himself this day! AWESOME!!

Ready to go OUT ON THE TOWN!!!

Halle will now go to the coat closet and bring you her jacket, (or any available jacket) to let you know she wants to go outside or on a drive. She will do the same with her shoes... want them put on, letting you know she is ready to go do something. The other night after her bath, and getting her pajamas put on, Halle would not leave me alone until we put her boots on too. I guess she had somewhere important to go... So here she is, feetsies PJ's, and her boots on top... All ready for a night on the town. Seriously, can she get any cuter?!