Nick

[Donna Thomson]

Hi Everyone, Well, a little update on us - a week or so ago, I was so worried about Nicholas. His symptoms were serious and daily. Nausea, extreme drowsiness, sometimes headaches and low body temperature (95.5) all were happening together every afternoon. An appt with a specialist turned out to be useless which was really frustrating. Anyway, then I went on a trip to Vancouver to speak at a family conference and to do an evening for parents on using Tyze. Nicholas recovered perfectly over the past ten days without any explanation. So strange! He even was pooping with his regular medication (with the slight exception of yesterday being day 4 and needed an enema). But he's happy and healthy and even went to see the movie Argo with Jim while I was away. I bought him a copy of GQ magazine and box of soft candy from the airport and he really liked that. Yesterday he had a swallow assessment with barium and it showed him being very close to aspiration but no actual aspiration. We'll wait for the report and recommendations from that.
Anyway, that's our news. All is well in our house. How are you all doing? x

[funnylegs4]

If he is a risk for aspiration they might give him a feeding tube. I don't know for sure. I don't mean to scare you but some people with CP die of aspiration like Christy Brown did(at least that is what I heard I could be totally wrong)
So glad Nick is feeling better though and even got to see a movie! That's awesome!

[andromeda31]

Hi Donna!

Glad to hear Nick recovered from the mystery illness! I don't think I ever replied to your post about the doctor's visit...how horrible! I have had a few similar encounters like that and it just is so frustrating and makes you feel hopeless. It's awful that they feel it is okay to treat people like that. How did they like the movie? I read that the movie really minimized the role that Canada played in that rescue.

It's been busy here, but all fun and good things at least! I am so glad that Caitlin is doing well as I don't know how I would be doing if I had to deal with medical stuff on top of everything else. I am WAY behind on my paperwork. I did clean off my desk yesterday and got a bunch of piles sorted out...forward progress! This weekend we have trick or treat (our village does it on the saturday before always) and my friend's annual Halloween costume party. I am looking forward to it! Caitlin is going to be Snow White...I ordered it off ebay and was so glad it fit! We had 'trunk or treat' last sunday at church so we got to do a trial run of all the costumes. It's a lot of work wrangling 4 kids into their costumes. I thought the big boys could do their own but I had to help with ties and stuff. They are going as the 10th & 11th Doctors from Doctor Who. We've been watching that show as a family on the weekend evenings. I have Brian going as the 9th Doctor and I am going as Rose Tyler. If you google 9th doctor/Rose you'll see. Caitlin actually went to a birthday party on sunday also! A friend in her CD Class had a bowling party. It was fun, there were a few other classmates there too. It was nice to chat with the parents and the kids had a blast doing glow bowling! I am looking forward to November...Caitlin will only have to go every other week for blood draws, not weekly! :) She has come a long way enduring those....today they got it right in...Caitling didn't even scream, cry or thrash about! And believe me, when we first started going we had 4 people holding her down! Today, just 2, one to poke, one to hand the tubes over...easy! We were in and out in 10 minutes. Tyler is getting his tonsils out Nov 6 so we have that coming up....gotta stock up on popsicles! Caitlin has lots of milwaukee appointments in november too, but I am looking forward to going down there and saying to her doctors to take a good hard look as this is how good she should always be!! :) She is just a total 180 from how she was in July. Hope everyone else is good!!

Lisa O.

[Donna Thomson]

Hi Funnylegs, Nick does have a feeding tube, but he still likes to eat sometimes bits and pieces for pleasure. Thank you for 'putting on your thinking cap' on our behalf - your caring is so appreciated.
Lisa, I'm so glad that you were able to sell the old costumes on Ebay (saw that on facebook :) I love the sound of your new cosstumes! Yes, the story of Argo was really skewed - it was Ken Taylor and the team at the Canadian Embassy who put their lives on the line for their US friends, but hey, it's Hollywood, right? So they rewrote history. Thanks for picking that up in the news. It was funny, I remember when it happened, I was working in the US embassy in Moscow where we were on posting and because I spoke Russian, I got a job in the visa dept of the US embassy. Boy, I was some kind of movie star after Canada helped out getting the US Tehran diplomats out! It was so funny, people I didn't know kissing me and everything. Anyway, that was a long time ago (remember I'm an old git haha) xoD

[Earth Mother 2 Angels]

((((((Donna & Nick))))))

I'm so happy to hear that Nick's episodes are over and that he's back to his old self. My guess is that the likelihood of a doctor diagnosing Nick's episodes would be slim.

The same applies to Jon. He had his catheter changed, and he suffered all kinds of weird symptoms ~ pursing lips at 5:30 every evening, then that stopped. He had his catheter advanced, and every night at 5:30, he filled up with fluid in his torso, needed suctioning as water was spewing from his mouth and trache, and even vomited twice ~ that went on for 9 days!

Now, his SATS are 98 and his heart rate is 78, quite a drastic change from those 21 days with SATS of 89 and heart rates up to 115. His temp is 97.7, which is his normal, where during those 21 days, it ranged from 99.5 to 102!

There is no reasonable explanation for any of this, and I sincerely doubt that any of the doctors we know would have one.

Our mystery men!!!

Thankfully, our mystery men rebound and are better than ever when they do. If only we could prevent these mysteries.

GQ, eh? Well, Nick is a sophisticated gentleman.

It's good that Nick had a swallow evaluation, so you have a baseline and know where he is with oral intake. I know so well how difficult that choice is ~ eliminating all oral intake. But my boys had aspiration pneumonia so many times, it was obvious that they were at risk with oral intake. We really had no choice.

I am afraid I don't know anything about the movie Argo, so I'm not able to respond there. But I'm fascinated by your story of working in the US Embassy and helping to free the US diplomats. Please share more!

((((((Lisa))))))

So glad that Caitlin is doing well. Your Halloween activities sound like lots of fun, and your costumes are quite clever. Hoping all will continue going well for your family.

Love & Light,

Rose

[Donna Thomson]

Hi Rose, In 1979, the Shah was overthrown in Iran and the Ayatollah Khomeini took over power (ultra fundamentalist regime began). A group of same fundamentalists stormed the US Embassy and took 50 hostages from the main building. They were held till after US elections and Clinton lost to Reagan (over 400 days). A smaller US building held the visa section. That part wasn't stormed so the six officers simply locked the doors of the office and left - they needed a way out of the country with their wives (children had already been evacuated back to the US). John Sheardown, the Canadian head of our Embassy and the Cdn Ambassador Ken Taylor decided to house the six officers and their wives themselves. They made them fake Canadian passports and spread a story that it was a Canadian film crew. They got out that way and it was a huge story back home of course and one for real celebration after such terrible times. Ben Affleck has now made a movie called Argo about the whole series of events but saying that it was a CIA mission and American led. A little annoying for people who remember what happened. Anyway, Nick and Jim really enjoyed the movie and Nick was fascinated to hear the real story afterwards with his Dad :) xo

[Earth Mother 2 Angels]

((((((Donna))))))

I remember very well the hostage situation in Iran. That Christmas, my family gathered outside after our meal to pray for the hostages and President Carter. However, I did not know (or likely don't remember) about the six officers and their wives, nor about the Canadians assisting in their rescue.

Let me just say now, "Thank You Canada." Long overdue, but still heartfelt.

I'm disappointed that Ben Affleck (who I do like generally) and the writers/producers of Argo chose to alter history to make it all about US. I'm sure that there is plenty of drama and excitement in the truth. As an American, I'm insulted that they thought that we might not watch it, if it didn't glorify Americans.

Not in the same vein, of course, but I think a similar Hollywood decision is "We Bought A Zoo." Wonderful film, starring Ben's friend, Matt Damon. The real story took place in Dartmouth with an English family. But the Hollywood version is an American family in Southern California.

"Based on a true story" seems to translate to: we took the core then changed it to suit our audience's taste. Or, what we think is our audience's taste.

If Hollywood ever asks to make a film based on your book, insist that they don't put you on a farm in Kansas or Montana! They should film in Canada and hire Canadian actors.

Thank you so much for sharing the story. I'd probably not know the truth, if you hadn't told me.

Love & Light,

Rose

[Donna Thomson]

Hi Rose, Here's the story on the new ending that Ken Taylor helped to draft for the film: http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/20...o-changes.html . I guess it just underscores our Canadian reputation of being polite - we don't really put ourselves out there, because if we did, Ken would have written the book instead of Mendez (who I believe was in Tehran for 36 hours during the crisis). It's annoying, but it's life! I don't think anyone will ever make a movie based on my book!!!! But thank you my dear, dear friend for even thinking for a moment that they might! lol xoxDonna

[Earth Mother 2 Angels]

((((((Donna))))))

Thank you for that edifying link about Argo.

Two words: Politics. Money.

Canadians are the nicest people, most polite people, I have met in my time on Earth. Yes, you are too polite about this, but what can you do, with all of that money backing the film? And the power behind that money? And the money that film is going to earn at the box office and in distribution?

History does not matter here. Only politics and money.

Call me a nitpicker, but I don't want a version of the truth. I want the truth.

But so few of us will know the truth about this rescue, because anyone, who sees this film, will believe this version.

This was a very tense time in our nation, and the direction of our nation changed drastically because of this hostage "situation." In fact, the world changed. And after this, we had the Iran-Contra "affair," and hearings about weapons exchanges. Oliver North, et al. Our economy tanked, unemployment skyrocketed. And the Middle East nations were in turmoil and chaos.

Politics. Money.

Again, I thank the Canadians for their incredible bravery. And I thank you, Donna, for telling me the truth.

Hey, you never know when someone might read your book and ponder it as a movie script. It happens...

Love & Light,

Rose

[Donna Thomson]

Oh gosh, I remember Ollie North! We were living in DC (on posting there and living down the street from the National Cathedral) - wow, it was something. We LOVED our time in the US and our dear, dear friends there. But wow, there is power and money like we had never seen in the US, and THEN we saw London. It's there X100. The world is a crazy place. xoD