Flu-Shot Shoulder Update

I’ve recently had several people ask me how my shoulder is doing since getting my flu shot at the beginning of January. It’s now flu shot season, and judging by traffic to this site, others have also been wondering if the shoulder pain they’re experiencing after their shot is typical or not. So I wanted to provide an update on it.

Is my shoulder better now?

Yes. And no.

Back in February, a month after my flu shot, I saw an orthopedic specialist who diagnosed me with subacromial bursitis. I was given a cortisone shot directly into the joint to help with the pain and stiffness, and handed an order for physical therapy. The cortisone shot was like a miracle – my shoulder was more sore the day the shot was given, but by day three the pain was nearly gone. I still had some stiffness and ache if I moved my shoulder to the upper limits of a stretch, but otherwise I felt great.

I set up my physical therapy and completed six weeks of appointments, twice a week. The goal was to strengthen and stretch the muscles around that joint for better movement and (hopefully) no more pain.

By April, I thought that perhaps I was all in the clear. The pain was gone, and other than some “popping” in my shoulder for certain movements, it seemed completely normal.

Then in mid-June, I went to Chicago for a one-day trip: one plane ride there, half a day in a conference, and then a few hours wait in the airport before another plane ride home. While waiting for my flight home, I noticed that my shoulder felt a little sore. I had been carrying my bag on that shoulder for part of the day, so I assumed that the soreness was just muscle soreness from carrying the bag during a very busy day. My back was sore from uncomfortable seats on the plane, too, so I didn’t worry.

But then a week later I noticed that shoulder in particular was still a little sore with certain movements. Shouldn’t it have been better by now? I took some ibuprofen for the next week, restarted the exercises I was taught in physical therapy, and hoped it was just a small flare up that would go away.

I finally admitted this low-level, chronic ache wasn’t going away at the start of August (yes, AUGUST – I’m stubborn like that), and scheduled an appointment with the orthopedic specialist again. He took a look and said the range of motion was still better than it had been, but wanted to make sure there wasn’t anything else going on. X-rays were taken, and nothing could be seen from them, so he ordered an MRI.

The MRI thankfully showed no damage to the rotator cuff tendons. So, ruling out any other issues, we were right back to the original diagnosis – subacromial bursitis. He told me that the cortisone shot probably did a great job at keeping the inflammation in check, but that it eventually wears off for most people. It’s likely that the cortisone shot I received in February lost its effectiveness in June, allowing the inflammation caused by my improperly placed flu shot to come back.

My doctor suggested another cortisone shot, since the first one did help. When he was injecting the cortisone, the doctor said bursitis was definitely the diagnosis, as the joint capsule was very tight and he had to apply more pressure than usual to get the cortisone into the space.

For now, my shoulder feels fine. I have full range of movement, I can sleep on that side, and while I’m still a little weaker on the left, I can perform weight-bearing exercises on that side. The first cortisone shot did eventually wear off, but my shoulder was still in a better state at that point than it was before the first cortisone injection was given. My hope is that the second cortisone shot finishes the job and allows the joint to completely heal.

But the truth is, I don’t know for sure. It’s possible the cortisone will wear off again and I’ll be right back in my doctor’s office. It’s definitely a possibility. There was talk of surgery to essentially “clean out” the joint as a last resort – I’d like to avoid that if I can. Surgery is simply not something I even want to think about right now.

I’m still frustrated that I had to go through all of this due to a flu shot. SIRVA (Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration) is a serious issue, and while it only affects a small percentage of people, it’s entirely preventable by ensuring good form when giving an injection.

I still stand by the tips I provided in my first post about this. If the placement seems wrong, say something. Make sure the person giving the shot is at the same level as you. Consider carefully who will be giving the shot. And if you’re eligible for it, consider the Flumist instead.

Flu shot being givenThis is a good spot for an injection. Not higher.

A stiff or painful shoulder after a flu shot can be completely normal. The pain is usually at its worst the day of and the immediate day after, fading quickly after that, and it’s felt in the muscle. If the pain gets worse on day two or day three, doesn’t start to decrease by day four, and is causing you to restrict your range of motion with that shoulder, it’s worth giving your doctor a call to get it looked at.

There’s a big push for everyone to get their flu shots at this time of year. I haven’t received mine yet, and I’ll admit to being a little more cautious about having it done this time. I’ll likely either choose the Flumist nasal vaccine, or let the nurse in my family doctor’s office give the shot, as I trust her to do it properly.

I won’t tell you that you must have a flu vaccine or that you should avoid them completely – that’s an individual decision for all of us. But I would urge you to pay attention if you do get one, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. It’s your health, and you have the right to make sure your vaccine is being given properly.

Note: a quick Google search helped me find this recent article for nurses, which specifically mentions techniques to avoid shoulder injury. It’s good to see the medical community taking more notice of this topic.



It’s IEP Time Again (Nobody Panic)

Last week, Aaron and I met with Cordy’s teachers for her annual IEP review. I know many parents who have felt like they needed to armor-up and prepare for battle before walking into their child’s IEP meeting each year, but we’ve always been fortunate to have never felt that way. Our school has always been welcoming to special needs, and I feel like the staff there genuinely wants to do whatever is reasonably in their power to help Cordy succeed.

It’s one more reason why I believe Cordy’s special-needs preschool teacher should be on the list for sainthood. If it wasn’t for her, and her incredible ability to look deep into this child and see her potential, we wouldn’t be at this elementary school. Yes, it’s on the other side of Columbus from us, but her preschool teacher knew the right school for Cordy and made sure it happened.

That’s not to say there haven’t been bumps in the road. Cordy has thrown some challenging behaviors their way at times, and there have been a couple of teachers that she did not click with at all. But in general, the school has been tolerant, gentle in discipline, and works hard to understand her unique quirks.

So really, we don’t mind attending IEP meetings. When Cordy was first given an educational diagnosis of autism at three years old, her future was murky at best. The special needs department couldn’t promise that she’d ever be in mainstream classes, or have any chance of graduating from high school, much less attend college. But thanks to the early intervention in preschool, we quickly learned how much she was capable of, and her preschool teacher told us she had high hopes of her being fully mainstreamed at some point.

Pre-K graduationCordy’s pre-K graduation

Her current school agreed with her preschool teacher’s analysis. While she missed the mark to be fully mainstreamed in kindergarten, she did have some inclusion time with a kindergarten class, and otherwise had one-on-one teaching with her special needs teacher, Ms. M. I was disappointed at the time, but it turned out to be the best possible arrangement for Cordy. Because of the one-on-one teaching, Ms. M began to see just how bright Cordy was, and began suggesting to us that she was gifted. She taught her at an advanced level, which eventually led to being tested for gifted identification in math and reading.

At this point, Ms. M gave us more hope: this child will graduate from high school, she told us, and there’s every reason to believe she could go to college. She said she was always cautious to make that kind of a prediction, and that she’s never been wrong.

In first grade, Cordy was fully mainstreamed, and this teacher also saw that she needed an advanced curriculum. Keep her challenged at the right level, and Cordy’s too engaged to let her anxiety bother her as much. In second grade, she started going to third grade for reading, and was further evaluated for gifted services. It was also during this year that Cordy was due to be re-evaluated by the school psychologist to determine if she was still eligible for special needs services.

This was a big year. Cordy was identified as superior cognitive by the gifted department (to go along with already being identified as gifted in a handful of subject areas), and the psychologist confirmed her high IQ, saying it was the highest he had ever scored an elementary school student in eleven years. She still met the requirements for special needs, too, primarily due to her severe anxiety and deficit in social skills.

So coming to the table again last week for her IEP meeting was something we looked forward to. Cordy is in a self-contained gifted education classroom this year, which we hoped would keep her engaged enough to keep her sensory issues and anxiety in check. The transition at the start of the year was very rough, though. Previous classes hadn’t provided the same level of challenge to her, so she was scared by suddenly being forced to work hard in class. This led to escape attempts – mostly asking to go to the bathroom where she would hide out for 10-15 minutes to avoid classwork. Her team (including her external team of her pediatrician and her psychologist) worked together to find ways to reduce this behavior and help her feel more comfortable in the class.

During the IEP meeting, we learned that the adjustments made by her team are working and that she has been doing better in class. Her gifted teacher said she could see Cordy was putting more effort into her work and trying to keep her anxiety in check. Her special needs teacher said that she hasn’t seen her as much in the last two weeks, but that Cordy still has her “take 5” pass she can use to visit the resource room whenever she feels she needs a break. Both teachers, who happen to have rooms right across the hall from each other, have collaborated to ensure that Cordy’s special needs – on both ends of the spectrum – are being met, with each handling her area of expertise.

This is individualized education at work. Two teachers, both contributing to Cordy’s education in their own areas, working together for continuity, and sharing what’s working and what isn’t working with each other. During the meeting, both teachers expressed that they are really enjoying working together for Cordy, and they feel it’s having a positive effect.

One funny story shared from the meeting (because every teacher at this school has a “Cordy story”): her gifted teacher told us that one day it was announced that there would be a meeting after school in her classroom. Cordy asked what they were meeting about. Her teacher, knowing that Cordy has recently been trying to learn humor and had been saying funny things to the teacher lately, replied in a joking manner, “Oh, we’re all meeting to talk about you, Cordy, and everything you’ve been doing wrong.”

Cordy completely fell apart, of course, unable to get the joke, and the teacher was left to backpedal and reassure her that she was just joking. Afterwards, she told the special needs team what happened, and they looked at her in shock and said, “Nooooo! Why did you think that would be okay? She doesn’t understand when you’re joking about her!” Cordy’s teacher did apologize to Cordy for upsetting her, and she told us it was a good lesson learned about just how far she could go with humor around Cordy. Yep. The kid still can’t handle sarcasm or any humor about her.

On the not-so-funny side, we learned that Cordy is still struggling in math, and her fear of math is what has prompted the most anxiety attacks. It seems last year’s battle with math is still with her. It’s so frustrating that a kid who is gifted in math is having so much trouble with it. Had she only learned one way of doing problems, instead of needing to be taught and reinforcing several different models, she probably wouldn’t be so confused.

She’s still having trouble with executive functioning skills, too, often forgetting to bring everything she needs home or write down everything she needs to do. We discussed ways to help support this, with additional accommodations possible if it gets worse. On the upside, all kids in this class are learning to play chess this year, and Cordy not only loves to play chess, but seems to have a talent for it.

The hardest part for me, though, was when I asked if she has any friends in the class. There are kids who are friendly with her, we were told, but she doesn’t appear to have any friends. I knew this would likely be the answer, but it was still hard to accept. Cordy doesn’t have any good friends, at school or in our neighborhood. That could partially be our fault, for not trying to encourage more playdates, but Cordy also struggles with knowing how to be a friend. Her thinking can be so rigid at times that many kids don’t want to be friends with her.

She attends a social skills class once a week, which has helped her conversation skills, however I think she feels it’s too much effort to make friends and so would rather be by herself where she doesn’t have to work to be more neurotypical. Her teachers are aware that I want her to develop friendships, and her gifted teacher believes that she might find friendships through playing chess or other shared interest activities in the class. Many of the kids are nice to her – there’s just no visible desire to want to spend a lot of time with her.

We wrapped up the meeting by going over her goals for this period and making some adjustments. I’ll add it’s not a perfect IEP meeting. There are still many areas I feel aren’t covered well enough, but it’s not due to lack of interest from the teachers, but lack of school resources. Ideally, her class would have textbooks so she could read the material they’re learning instead of relying more on auditory teaching. (She is a poor auditory learner, but picks up anything she reads in a book.) But there are no textbooks or written materials for the kids to use for many subjects.

And ideally she’d have an aide with her more during the day to help support her when she hits the wall with anxiety, but that’s a battle waged by many parents before us with poor outcomes. I don’t have the energy to fight on all fronts – we must choose our battles and right now this isn’t one to put my energy into.

So, we make due with the limited resources and cherish and support the best resources we do have: her teachers, her aides (when she does occasionally see them), and her principal. Unfortunately, her principal will be retiring soon, so next year’s IEP meeting may be an entirely different situation depending on who the district chooses for the position. (And oh, I’ll be ready if they put up any resistance to the sunny collaboration we’ve got going on at the moment.)

For now, things are going well. Cordy is struggling a little in her class, but just like years before, I think she’ll rise to the challenge and grow from this experience. For a kid with such an uncertain future at the start of her school years, she’s making it clearer with each new year that she’s capable of so much.

4th grade school photoThis year’s school photo. (Ignore the flash screen reflected in her glasses.)



A Bumpy Start to School

School started on Wednesday, but it hasn’t been as smooth as I’d hoped it would be. Honestly, this has probably been one of the hardest back-to-school weeks we’ve endured.

The week started with me getting what I thought was a small cold. By Monday evening I could tell it was spiraling into something worse, so I kept drinking lots of water, taking vitamins and supplements, and hoping it would go away. On Tuesday I was feeling run down, but determined to finish getting supplies packed into backpacks and clothing set out so everything would be perfect for the first day of school.

Wednesday started on a high note. The girls were awake, excited, and ready for their first day. And somehow Mira grew from 7 to 14 overnight.

First day of school 2014 No really, why does she look ready for high school?

The bus was even here only a couple of minutes late. I expect that on the first day, as drivers are still getting used to routes and some kids take longer than expected to get onto the bus. Cordy was a little nervous, and as the driver and aide greeted the kids she asked, “Are you nice? Because I had a mean bus helper in first grade and I didn’t like her.” The aide responded, “Oh, I think I’ve been on a bus with you before.” I’m really hoping it wasn’t in first grade…

But the bus pulled away with two happy kids, I settled into a (peaceful!) day of work, with only Cosmo curled up next to me and a whopping sinus headache to endure. I was pretty sure it was a full-blown sinus infection at this point. Even my fatigue couldn’t get me down, especially since there were no calls home from the school during the school day.

Then at 4pm, half an hour after the end of the school day and just as I was starting to wonder if the bus would show on time, I received a call from the school. I expected it to be an update on how Cordy’s first day had gone. Instead, it was her teacher telling me that Cordy and Mira were still at school, as their bus had not shown up yet and the school didn’t know where it was.

Seriously?? I expect first day delays, but when the bus hasn’t shown up to the school 30 minutes after it was due, and no one knows where it is or when to expect it, that’s a problem. I sent Aaron a message quickly and he left work to go pick them up, rather than wait for who knows how long for the bus to arrive.

While waiting, I checked the transportation department’s Twitter feed – which is designed to alert parents to bus routes running late – and despite notices for several other routes, ours wasn’t listed. What good is an alert system if you only provide updates on some of the routes?

When Aaron and the kids got home, the girls looked exhausted. Gone was the excitement of the morning, replaced by sweaty hair and shirts and half-open eyes. They said they’d had a good first day, but it was very hot at school. (No air conditioning in the building, and it was near 90 degrees.) We went through their folders and pulled out the requisite first day stacks of paperwork for me to fill out.

We ordered pizza as a special treat for the first day of school. Mira only ate one little square of pizza, and despite being home in air conditioning, looked really worn out. At one point she asked me, “Do I feel warm?” I placed my hand on her forehead and said, “No, sweetie, you’re cool to the touch. And a little clammy, too.” Half an hour before bedtime, she announced she was going to go to bed because she felt so awful.

But before she could go upstairs, she suddenly clamped her lips tightly together and had that wide-eyed look that all parents quickly recognize – she was about to vomit. Aaron rushed her into the bathroom and they made it just in time. After that excitement, we cleaned her up and, in true Mira fashion, she said “It’s a good thing I only ate one piece of pizza!”

She said she felt better and so we put her to bed. At first I thought her vomiting was probably related to being in the heat all day. Cordy had a 24-hour stomach virus on Saturday, but those tend to have short incubation periods, so Mira would have been sick long before Wednesday, right? I convinced myself that her proclamation of feeling better meant it was a one-time thing.

My assurances fell apart about five minutes later when she started vomiting again. And then 15 minutes after that. And 20 minutes after that. It was clear now that this wasn’t related to the heat. She finally stopped vomiting around 2:30am.

I slept fitfully the rest of the night, waking up with sinus pain and coughing. At 7:15am yesterday, I dragged myself downstairs to help Cordy get ready for school. The second day of school routine wasn’t nearly as cheery. Even though Mira was already on the couch sipping juice and announcing she felt better, I knew she wasn’t able to go to school. So yesterday she spent the day on the couch, watching Phineas and Ferb episodes all day long, while I sat across from her doing my best to get a little work done through the brain fog and exhaustion. I felt bad that Mira had to miss the second day of second grade – what a lousy way to start.

And then at 4:05pm, the phone rang. It was the school, telling me that the bus had just shown up five minutes ago, so to expect Cordy to be home late. 30 minutes late to the school again? And yet again, no notice on the Twitter feed. Oh wait, they updated after I complained to them on Twitter. But they updated 10 minutes AFTER all kids had been dropped off. Thanks for letting us know the bus was on its way back to the depot empty.

Guess who has earned themselves the special honor of being my project this year? I’m utterly fed up with transportation, and it’s only the second day of the school year. I can understand some delays at the start of the year, but their lack of communication and their lack of respect for parents and students is unbelievable. I’ve heard some horrible stories from other parents already, too. Stories that make ours look minor.

The good news is that we’re hopefully ending the week on a positive note. Mira was completely recovered by last night, so she happily went to school today. The bus was on time this morning. And I think I’m finally starting to get over this sinus infection. Now if the bus could make it to the school on time this afternoon, we’ll hopefully have a perfect day to end the week.



Back To School Time!

We’re now less than a week away from school starting, which has everyone in this house excited. Yes, even the kids. Summer camps are over, and this week they’ve been tortured with having to entertain themselves most days while I work. At this point, going back to school is a welcome alternative to the boredom of being at home and occasionally having to be super quiet while I’m on a call.

They really do like school, though. We went to the school last night for a “welcome back” ice cream social, and Cordy and Mira were so excited to see their teachers and some of their classmates again. We also found out which teacher Mira will have for second grade – he’s the same teacher that Cordy had for most of second grade. Cordy had promoted him so much to Mira that now Mira thinks she has the perfect second grade teacher.

We already knew which class Cordy would be in for this year. She was eligible for the gifted class this year, so in the spring we applied for her to have a spot in the class at our school. We found out in June that she was accepted into the class – not a big surprise, since she met all three of possible criteria for inclusion.

Because the district tried to drastically slash the number of gifted ed classrooms last year, applications for our gifted classroom were down this year, most likely due to a fear of sending a child to a school for only a year and then having to be re-assigned again the next year. There are only 14 kids in the class instead of the typical 20. (Not complaining, since that’s actually good for Cordy.) I’m going to stay on top of the issue to try to ensure our school keeps their gifted ed classroom, as it’s the perfect resource for a twice-exceptional kid like Cordy.

We also received the school supply lists for the year. Have you gone shopping for school supplies yet? I started shopping a couple of weeks ago when we received Cordy’s supply list in the mail, and then finished last night with Mira’s list. I’ve learned something very important in the process: compare prices between stores.

We did most of Cordy’s supply shopping at Staples, when they were advertising a sale on school supplies. This is what we bought:

School supplies from Staples

All of that cost about $60. I was a little shocked that school supplies cost so much.

And then last night, I went to Target to get Mira’s supplies and get the last few items we needed for Cordy. This is what I bought:

School supplies from TargetDog paw not included.

That includes a handful of extra items to donate to district schools as well. Total cost? $31.

That’s almost half the cost of the Staples items. Wow, what a difference! Yes, I did buy more Target brand for crayons and colored pencils, but the price difference between those and Crayola was less than thirty cents per item. And the glue sticks were store brand in either case.

Had I known that supplies were that much cheaper at Target, I would have gone there at the start. I’m considering returning the Staples items and getting them all at Target instead. (This post isn’t sponsored by Target, but I’m learning I need to shop there more often!)

At this point the kids are ready for school to start. Of course, now I need to work on my parent back-to-school supply list. This includes:

  • Coffee k-cups to get me moving for those earlier mornings
  • Pajamas I don’t mind my neighbors seeing when I take the kids out to the bus
  • Space on my memory card for first day of school photos
  • Double-check that the Transportation Dept. phone # is programmed into my phone
  • Afternoon snacks for hungry kids getting off the bus
  • Lots of patience for helping out with homework

I’m hoping this will be a good school year for all of us!



On Ten Years of BlogHer and Blogging

I just got home from BlogHer ’14 in San Jose, California, which was the 10th anniversary of the BlogHer conference. Ten years – that’s like at least 30 in internet years. Maybe 50. Either way, it makes me an old blogger.

Of those ten conferences, I’ve attended nine. My first BlogHer conference was the second ever. It was also in San Jose in 2006, when I was a new blogger, just becoming comfortable with sharing my thoughts for the general public online, and terrified of putting myself out there in person at the event.

I wasn’t going to attend, but then I won a free ticket to the conference in Erin’s giveaway. So I found the courage and did it, and I met some wonderful women, many of whom I’m still friends with today. And it was at that conference that I knew that I wasn’t giving up blogging any time soon. I’ve been to every BlogHer since then.

BlogHer 2006BlogHer 2006

It’s fun to look back at how much has changed since then. I started blogging in November 2005, before Twitter or Instagram, and before people started blogs with the intent of making money from them. Cordy was a year old, still two years away from the autism diagnosis, but I felt lost in my role as a mother. I didn’t have a lot of local mom friends, I had trouble finding playgroups that accommodated working moms, and I was depressed. Blogs filled the role of a virtual community for me to learn, share and commiserate. I began by reading several blogs, then slowly adding my thoughts as comments on posts, and then I took the plunge and started my own blog.

And now? I have not one but two kids, I’m way outside of the baby years, and I feel like I’m not doing too bad at this whole mom thing, even with autism added to the mix. Actually, it’s because of my blogging community that I feel more confident in my parenting, and without this community I don’t know how I would have navigated the early years after the autism diagnosis, or even something as mundane as how to handle sibling rivalry.

I’ve been through school for an additional degree since I started blogging, worked as an RN, and now I work for BlogHer. I’ve lost 80 pounds by using my online support network to help me reach my goals. And overall? I’ve never been happier. My life is so much richer for all of the people I’ve been able to connect with over the years because of blogging.

This year at BlogHer we were all encouraged to participate in the #selfiebration, so I took the opportunity to make sure I was in photos with friends, colleagues, and women I admire.

BlogHer 2014BlogHer 2014

There are so many inspiring experiences I’ve had in the last ten years, many of which I wouldn’t have ever guessed would happen ten years ago. And it all started with this little blog, and with BlogHer. Happy 10th anniversary, BlogHer – I can’t wait to see what’s to come!

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