CAMPING TRIPS ROCK - HEAD COLDS BITE

Camping was great. Or at least I think it was. I mean, it was, but it had some moments. Mainly I had some moments. I was sick the entire time we were gone. Woke up Friday feeling yucky, and stayed yucky, and am still yucky a week later. Colby started getting sick Monday. Head colds, both of us. Yeah, I'm over this shit for real. Colby was supposed to have school Wed, Thur and Fri this week. I kept him home Wed, then sent him Thur. This was a mistake. His numbers were crappy while he was gone, and he even cried at school a little. He kept telling his teacher on his eye gaze, "I'm going to tell you how I feel. I am really sick." Then he was picking various body parts, saying they were bleeding or they ached. God love him. Kept him home today. Finally got a doctor to agree to an antibiotic, so we started that today. We've done IPV and CoughAssist treatments around the clock, every 4 to 6 hours, since Monday. He had hit and miss symptoms. He had a mild fever that came and went. One day his oxygen would be low. One day his heart rate would be high. One day his trach secretions would be thin, one day they were thick and yellow. Get the picture? It's been a mess. I've been hacking my head off, practically ODing on plop-plop-fizz-fizz Alka-Seltzer and cough drops, tired from getting up with Colby through the night. Worried about Colby. He has been sick, but a different kind of sick. Usually Colby is either perfectly fine, or sick in the hospital with pneumonia. There is no in-between with this kid, usually. So him being "just" sick with SMA and a cold has thrown me off a bit. But we survived the week somehow, and now I think we're both turning the corner and starting to feel better.

Back to camping. Overall it was fantastic. I loved the opportunity to get Colby out of the apartment for a few days and visit with the family. We had one day of sunny hot weather. A couple of days of rainy weather. One day of cold weather. Just as the saying goes: don't like the weather in southern Indiana? Just stick around, it'll change in 10 minutes. We went for a nice walk. Colby loves to just lie around and watch the campfire. I swear he is totally mesmerized by it. We were able to get in a cookout/picnic between the rain on Saturday with Mom, Kenny, their friends who were camping 2 spots down from us, and my stepbrother and his family. This is really what I wanted to do while camping, so I'm glad we got it in. Colby sat up in his chair and used his eye gaze to communicate with everyone. We did the hot dog/s'mores gig around the fire. We tried to sit around the fire and visit some more, but the rain set in again. We were trying to hurry and get Colby under cover, but his wheelchair got stuck in the wet ground and/or wet leaves. The tires were literally spinning, while I was "giving it gas" and the others were pushing him out. Nice, really nice. It was worth it, though. I loved every second of it. Sunday we stayed in the camper because the weather was for crap. Made Colby watch the Colts game with me. Then he watched Spongebob and I watched more football. We needed to be home Monday at 3:00ish because the wheelchair dude was coming to make some adjustments to Colby's chair. We got up and made a fire so my little pyromaniac could watch the flames. I had a couple s'mores for the road, then we headed home. By the end of the night, Colby's nose was pouring snot and his illness started.

So I think that about catches you up for now. In spite of me feeling like crap on a cracker and the weather not being all that cooperative, the camping trip was still fabulous. I don't know how many more camping trips we'll be able to have in the RV  L Colby is getting too dang big, and so hard for us to get him in and out of the motor home. We'll have to see what next Fall break brings us, I suppose. If there's any way to do it, we'll figure it out. We always do. Going to bed soon, then getting up at midnight for Colby's cough treatment. Have to get this kid well, ASAP. Too much school to be attended and Halloween festivities to do in the next couple of weeks. Now that I'm feeling better, I'll update a little more. I know you've all missed us terribly haha.