A weekend with Quinsy.

Whilst everyone has been resplendent in red, white and blue and bigging up the queen I've been "nursing" a sick fool!

The Big Man has been complaining of a sore throat for 5 weeks.  Ever since I had tonsillitis 5 weeks ago so I've been nagging at him to see a doctor.  Being the big strong man that he is, NOT, he decided to fight it himself.  Surprise, surprise he ended up at the emergency Out of Hours GP on Thursday night with a raging fever and difficulty swallowing.

The doctor diagnosed quinsy and declared his tonsils were the worst that he had ever seen.

Dr. Google said

"Quinsy is a complication of tonsillitis.

It is a collection of pus that develops between the back of one of your tonsils and the wall of your throat. This is known as an abscess. An abscess can develop when an infection spreads from a swollen tonsil to the surrounding area.

The medical name for quinsy is peritonsillar abscess."

So I've spent the weekend with a pus filled abscess!  Hope your Jubilee weekend is better than mine.

Look away now if you are of a nervous disposition.  

Here's a pic from Google image for your amusement.

Numb Bum Day

It's been a while since I wrote an update on the Wee Man's allergies so I thought this was an oppotune time to do so.  You see tomorrow the Wee Man goes into hospital to have his immunisations.  Not something that a child would normally go into hospital to have but for the Wee Man it's a big day. 

For a couple of years now Dr. H his Consultant Peditrician and allergy speicalist has been trying to source latex free vaccinations for him.  Her searched failed miserably and she's been consulting other allergy experts worldwide for solutions to our dilemma. 

With the Wee Man's latex allergy it means any jabs of any kind are life threatening.  All vaccinations have a latex bung on the bottles that the needle passes through to get to the solution inside.  That needle is then usually inserted into the patient and injected.  That plus the fact the solution has been swilling around latex makes the whole thing rather risky for a person with a latex allergy! 

So after much consultation she concluded that the best course of action was to take the bung out of the bottle and get to the solution directly.  The Wee Man will get 10% of the solution initially and after a period of observation, if there are no adverse effects he'll get the full dose. 

The Wee Man is not too thrilled with the idea of the needle.  Up until a couple of months ago he had no fear of needles whatsoever.  In fact he loved having blood tests as it usually meant a lot of female attention from all the nurses (he's such a ladies man!).  But a couple of months ago he had a bad experience with a blood test where he didn't have the numbing cream and the person taking the blood was, to put it bluntly a sadistic bastard.  He was literally poking the needle about inside the Wee Man's arm.  Jabbing the needle in and out and wriggling it around whilst inside his arm.   He failed to get to a vein and then inisisted he try the other arm.  I had to put my hand over the Wee Man's arm to stop him from continuing.  Since then the Wee Man has been wary of needles. 

Fortunately the Wee Man has been blessed with parents with the ability to make any situation funny! ;0)  We have allayed his fears by advising him that we will ask for numbing cream to be applied before any needles go anywhere near him.  But of course, jabs are usually given in the bum region.  For the cream to work it has to be applied to the area for at least 45 minutes and cling filmed on.  So we have told the Wee Man he must have his bum cling filmed.  Plus the numbing cream, really is numbing, so he won't feel his bum for a few hours afterwards.  So he won't know that he is sitting down and also because he won't be able to feel his bum this gives his parents the right to tickle his bum to their hearts content.  ;0)

That is why, tomorrow is affectionatley known as "Numb Bum Day".

The Perfect Railway Holiday (aka as the "Best Train Holiday EVER") - Part 1

Where do you go on holiday if your child is mad about trains?

The answer is simple, Wales.  Berwyn to be precise where for a reasonable amount of money you can hire the Station Master's house at Berwyn station.  It's situated right on the railway platform where regular steam and vintage diesel trains run.

Here's the link if you want to have a nose. Berwyn Station Masters House

I can't remember how I found the house but find it I did and I booked it there and then.

I can hand on heart say it is the BEST holiday home I have ever stayed in.  The view from the living room is stunning with sweeping views of the platform and the River Dee.

 
Berwyn station is a vintage lovers dream with lovely vintage touches here and there.

The house is beautifully furnished with everything you would ever need on holiday, including an iron.  Several of our past holiday homes were without one so I was especially thrilled to find an iron in a cupboard.  Simple things!  To welcome us on our arrival at the house there was a lovely bottle of wine and beautiful fresh flowers.  And of course the obligatory carton of fresh milk in the fridge for a cuppa. 

The Wee Man spent many happy hours playing on the platform.  The station is rather quiet with not many people getting on and off at Berwyn so he had the run of the platform and for one whole week he was the Station Master of Berwyn railway station, complete with train cap, whistle, flag and official badge.

As part of the holiday home hire we were given complementary tickets for the railway which allowed us to ride the trains as many times as we wanted during our stay.  This made the holiday very worthwhile as at £12 for an adult ticket and there being four adults we saved a lot of money.  The tickets were used almost on a daily basis.

The majority of the railway staff are volunteers and were exceptionally lovely which really made the Wee Man's holiday.  He was given a tour of the signal box at Llangollen station, allowed into the driver's cab of a steam train, helped with the coupling up of several trains and the highlight for him was a ride in the driver's cab of a vintage diesel train.

I think you need to be a parent to a train mad child to fully appreciate why all of the little extra treats were really special.  I have to add though that the little extras are not part of the holiday package, but merely the staff recognising how especially train obsessed the Wee Man is and indulging him in his obsession.  He really is obsessed!

More holiday posts to follow where the Wee Man's train obsession will become very apparent.

Do I need to check my Home Insurance?

play date (noun) The occasion of a child having a friend come over to play at their house.

The play date is a fairly new concept and one that I associate with a particular episode of "Friends" where Ross takes his son on a play date with a stripper and her son, much to Rachel's annoyance.

In my day we were shoved out the house to roam the streets in a pack with our runny noses and scraped knees.  Our social lives weren't managed by our parents.  We made our "dates" in the school playground with questions of "Yoo goan oot t'play the night?".  Plans were made to meet at a street corner where many happy hours of skipping, bouncing balls and hula hooping were to be had.  Those were the days.

Now it takes at least an email and three texts before children can play with their friends outside of school.  Parents have to check their child's diaries to find a suitable slot between gymnastics club, tennis club and spanish lessons.

The Wee Man has been on a few play dates with class mates.  I always tag along of course, under the pretence of the Wee Man's allergies when in fact I just want to have a nose at other people's houses.  :0)  Not really. I'm sure  the parents expect and indeed demand that I tag along with the Wee Man for all his social engagements.  I'm pretty sure they don't relish the thought of having to deal with an allergic reaction and I for one wouldn't trust them.

It seems I have been rather selfish in the play date department though and have not invited any of the Wee Man's classmates to our house to play.  The Wee Man has asked several times and in fact one child practically followed us all the way home, all the while his mother trying in vain to reason with him. Only a well timed Milky Way bribe distracted him enough not to follow us onto our street.

So, this term I am going to invite at least one child over to play.  In preparation I have moved all the Wee Man's toys into his room to try and contain any ensuing mayhem. I told the Big Man my plan and a brief look of panic skipped across his face and he said two words to me and walked out the room.  "Home insurance".

Really?  Do I really need to go the the extreme of checking my home insurance?  What are the chances of a major disaster happening that needs me to hunt out our policy documents?

Note to Self:  Hide the Chalk Paint

Gingerbread Men Recipe - Free from wheat, gluten, dairy, egg, soya

I've been asked to bake some gingerbread men with the Wee Man's class plus the other reception class, next week. That's sixty kids in total.  So earlier this week, the Wee Man and I had a play in the kitchen and we came up with this very easy recipe for wheat, gluten, dairy, egg and soya free Gingerbread Men. 


(Because of the Wee Man's allergies the recipe for school needed to be allergen free.  The risk of cross contamination from ingredients is too scary to think about)

"This one's got a belt , Mum!"

Makes approx. 10 gingerbread men

350g/ 12oz “Doves Farm Gluten Free Plain Flour”

1 ½ tsps “Doves Farm Xanthan Gum”

100g/ 4oz “Pure Sunflower Spread”

1 ½ tsp ground ginger

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

175g/ 6oz light soft brown sugar

4 tbsp golden syrup

1 tsp “Orgran No Egg” whisked with 2 tbsp cold water

1.      Pre-heat oven to 180C/ 350F/ Gas Mark 4

2.      In a mixing bowl add the flour, “Pure” spread, ground ginger, bicarbonate of soda and the xanthan gum.  Using finger tips, rub the mixture until it resembles bread crumbs.

3.      Add the sugar, syrup and the “No-Egg” mixture.  Mix until a firm pastry mix is formed.  At first it looks like the mixture won’t combine but keep kneading and it will all come together.

4.      Roll out the dough to about 5mm thick, on a well floured surface. 

5.      Cut out shapes using cutters and transfer onto a greased or non stick baking sheet and bake for 10-13 mins.

6.      Allow the gingerbread men to cool before decorating. The Wee Man decorated his Gingerbread Men with raisins and white icing.  It's amazing what you can do with raisins.  


These were thoroughly enjoyed by the Wee Man and we gave some to his teachers to sample too. They  taste very much like "ordinary" gingerbread men.  I'm excited and nervous about beking with all those kids.  I can see myself being completely stressed out but I'm sure I'll have fun (I hope).

Strike a Pose!

We went to visit my brother on Tuesday to meet our lovely new niece.  Needless to say I was super excited and spent the whole time holed up in the bedroom with my sister in law and my new niece.  Meanwhile the Wee Man and Big Man got decidedly bored watching children's TV.  So out came the Wee Man's Lego camera and the boys got down to some serious "art".

The Big Man explained the feet shots were the Wee Man's attempts to use the timer on the camera.  A timer that doesn't actually exist.  

Put Up and Shut Up - A Disappearing Act

I thought I should post a little something before I disappear for a while.  I've been going through a bit of a time of it recently.  I won't say hard as I am not the type that complains or whinges.  I am one who "puts up and shuts up".

The Wee Man is starting school in September which has meant a lot of heartache and planning.  Because of his life threatening allergies we have had to make plans to reduce the risks and also plans should anything happen.  For some reason this has thrown up a lot of emotions for me.  None of them good.  Where starting school should be a happy time for us it has become a time fraught with anguish and terror, both our own and the school's.  Thankfully the Wee Man is oblivious to all of this and is happily scoring off the days on his homemade countdown calender until he starts school.  Forty two sleeps and counting.

The past month has been spent in countless meetings with various people from the school and beyond, assessing the risks and writing his care plan.  I am a person who very, very rarely cries and I have been shocked to find myself crying at a couple of these meetings.  Once with the school nurse who herself has unexplained anaphylaxic episodes.  She was the first person I have ever met who has ever experienced anaphylaxis and I asked her how it felt.  Her description was enough to send me well over that edge and I ended up teary and shaking with fear.

The Wee Man has never experienced anaphylaxis, something I and his medical team are truly thankful for.  And whilst I harbour a small hope that, somehow the Wee Man's allergic reactions are only "mild" and would never go to that extreme, my recent talk with his allergy nurse and subsequent research on Dr. Google has well and truly quashed that hope.  It is, as the school nurse said, only because of my vigilance and hard work that the Wee Man has never experienced anaphylaxis.  So basically sheer luck.

Fear has arrived and is firmly camped in my already fragile heart.  I find myself constantly thinking of the Wee Man's mortality and have become "Helicopter Mum", continually hovering over him, stealing cuddles and kisses when I can.  His life is fragile and I fear, however unreasonably, that it will be short.

So this summer will be spent spending every moment with the Wee Man and making it as fun filled and memorable as I can.  I will endeavour to stay upbeat and not show my true feelings to the Wee Man who remains forever positive and matter of fact about his allergies.

I will no doubt do the occasional post as I do have a couple that needs to be written.  Specifically, a thank you post to Aija for her fantastic swap parcel which did make me smile.  Thank you Aija.

Have a great summer everyone and I will hopefully still be able to read your lovely blogs and post comments.

Madison xxx

But I Like Having Hair!

The Big Man is follicley challenged.  Is that a PC way of saying it?  And no that is not a picture of the Big Man.  It's Gregor Fisher as "The Baldy Man" one of his many hilarious characters.  

The Big Man was bald when I met him, so it is only in old faded photos that I've ever seen him with a full head of "Rick Astley" hair.  He liked his hair mousse did the Big Man.  The more volume the better.  

So obviously the Wee Man has never known his dad to have any hair, save for some bum fluff on the sides and back.  We never really mention the baldness.  It just doesn't register.  The Big Man is the man I fell in love with and he is quite secure with his "hair style".  

So it is with great surprise that the Wee Man has become rather obsessed with his dad's lack of hair and seems to be quite worried that he will lose his own luscious locks.  

For example:

Example 1

Wee Man:  Mum, when I grow up will I have hair like Dad's

Me:  I'm not sure son, maybe.  

Wee Man:  BUT I LIKE HAVING HAIR!!!  

Me:  (Trying not to pee myself)  You'll just have to wait and see, darling. 

Wee Man:  I LIKE MY HAIR!!!

Example 2

Wee Man:  Dad, why do you cut your hair when you have none? 

Example 3

Wee Man:  Mum, why does Dad have no hair?

Me:  I don't know, what do you think

Wee Man:  (Thinks for a bit and then runs around like mad shaking his head)

                  I think he went like that and he knocked it all out.  

Me:  (Trying again not to pee myself) Maybe it's not a good idea for you to do that again then. 

Hopefully the Wee Man will get to keep his locks but with baldness on both sides of the family, the future is looking quite bleak.