So Thankful

I can't tell you how thankful I am for caring friends and family who lifted up grandson, Benji, in prayer. Just knowing there were others praying gave me such peace of mind. It's hard being so far away from the kids and then not being there with them when this happened.

For those who don't know:

Benjamin is my 2-year-old grandson living with his parents in Germany. He fell quite hard on tile floors two different days, striking his head near his eye in exactly the same place. After the second mishap his mommy noticed that his eye on that side was slightly crossing, or wandering to the middle. They checked his vision, his pupils and after a long scream and cry he was playing and seemed fine. There was/is a small bruised place on his head, and he was complaining that light hurt his eye and is still rubbing it. They were advised by their family doctor to take him to the children's hospital where he and his mommy spent the night. (One more night to go for observation and testing.)

A doctor friend of Benji's other grandparents couldn't believe that they hadn't had a CT done yet, but after Benji's daddy spoke with the him on the phone, the doctor agreed that he does NOT need one. He said that if it happened in the US, they would have done a CT, but only because doctors are afraid of malpractice. Because Benjamin hasn't shown any lethargy, never lost consciousness, and his pupils are normal, he believes the CT is unnecessary.
He also said that the eye problem is probably because of local swelling that should go away within a few days.

The German eye specialist said the optic nerve looked fine. She said there was some bruising/trauma that she could see. She did not see the eye do it's wandering trick, but she also reassured them that it should go away in a few days. They are spending another night at the hospital, maybe another test in the morning, which is the middle of the night for us.

A little incident today made me feel my heavenly Father's care over this whole thing. First you have to know that last night I was listening to songs on the computer and found His Eye is on the Sparrow. Part of the words are, "His eye is on the sparrow and I know he watches me." That song comforted me and made me cry.

So back to today. My husband had to make a trip to Home Depot, so I went with him and was wandering around praying, thinking about Benjamin, and looking at plants. I walked over to where small bird baths are displayed. One little bird bath had two tiny cement birds perched on it's edge. When I peered into the bowl I could read what was written inside the rim.....
"His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me."

Goosebumps anyone? That kind of thing doesn't happen to me often,
but when it does, WOW!

Sinus Headaches Are A Pain!

There's nothing like a horrible sinus headache to cause your head so much agony, sap your strength, and rob you of a whole day, except maybe a migraine.

I'm usually able to realize a sinus headache is coming, before it's raging, and do something about it.
Not so yesterday, so I suffered away from home until I was sick to my stomach with the pain.

When the barometer pressure changes, usually indicating rain, my headaches begin. I also get a headache when I've dusted and not used a mask, or when there is a bunch of pollen. Allergies-Ick !

Well, I guess someone else has noticed barometric pressure related headaches, because you can research them on Google. Mine are always on one side of my face in the sinus cavity on that side and behind that eye.

Enough complainin' about the pain, what do I do about it? The following is NOT meant to be medical advice. If you want that you'll have to go to a doctor. I'm not one, so take all my advice with a grain of salt. I'm just sharing what has helped me.

• Get hydrated - Drink plenty of fluids, whether you feel like it or not. Water is best. I sometimes get up in the morning stuffed up and know if things don't loosen up I'm going to be in pain. I make a very hot cup of tea or coffee. After I drink it down a little I start trying to place the side or bottom of the warm cup on the spot were it hurts. I also like to inhale the warm steam from my cup. Don't scald yourself ! I sometimes alternate that with ice cold water. Cold orange juice also is good in the morning. If I'm away from home and feeling sick to my stomach I'll get an icy cold Sprite from the Sonic, or a lemon water.

• Use the healing properties of hot and cold water - It's more effective if you've taken in plenty of fluids before doing any of the following: Use a very hot washcloth on your face where it hurts. Try it on the back of your neck on the same side. Rewet the cloth as needed to keep it good and hot. Then splash ice cold water on your face or use a cloth dipped in ice water on your face. Alternate back and forth with the heat and cold. If you're already in a lot of pain skip the cloth treatment and get in the shower. Use the warmest water you can stand on your face, head and back of your neck. If you have a handheld shower head, use a powerful massaging setting and get it closer. Be careful, not too near your eyes. You can follow the heat with cold, but you really want a handheld for that so you can direct it only onto your face. Brrrr!

• Other treatments - Heating pad. Gel face mask that is kept in the fridge. Inhaling steam with menthol or an essential oil in some hot water, possibly making a steam tent out of a towel. Humidifier. Saline drops in the nose. Neti pot. Eating something very spicy. Chewing very minty gum or mints. Exercise if you feel like it. Massage your face and neck where the pressure is. Sometimes I ask my hunny to put me in a headlock. No, really! I lay my head on his chest and he uses his forearm across my temple and applies a good headlock there instead of my neck. Feels wonderful and is more cost effective than buying me a new head, which is what I ask him to do when he asks if I need anything.
  

• Medicine - I can often use some of the above treatments and get relief with no medication at all. Sometimes I know I'm going to need to take a couple of regular ibuprofen. If I'm in enough pain I'll take a prescription dose and go to bed. I also take a nasal decongestant as needed. There's only one that really works for me. Once again, I'm no doctor, and overuse of ibuprofen can cause liver damage among other things, so see a doctor rather than medicating what could be a serious problem.