Malia Moore

January 29th 2012

Around midnight I woke up crying. I could  not get comfortable. Mom and dad had moved me  into bed with  them and were patting me and talking to me trying to calm me down. I would go to sleep for maybe 20 minutes than wake up and cry hysterically for 30minutes. I did not feel good. Mom took my temperature and it was normal but she gave me some Tylenol anyway just in case I was hurting somewhere. My parents have to do a lot of guesswork with me since I can not tell them exactly where it is that I am hurting.  Mom and I ended up in the rocking chair with me falling asleep over her shoulder. She pats me in just the right way and I finally fell back to sleep but it was  not a deep sleep. Around 4am I started to cry again and mom touched my back and it was on fire. I was so hot! Mom took my temperature and it was 102. Uh oh, time to go to San Jose. My parents do not waste a minute thinking about what to do when I have a temperature like that we know we have to go to the city.

This was not the best timing for me to get sick. My cousin Brent was flying into Tambor today at 8am. It is his first time here to visit us and he does not speak Spanish. Dad would not be able to go with us as he had to pick up Brent. Mom knew who she would call our dear friend Karen. Fortunately for us she is here for the next 4 months with her husband George. Mom called and woke Karen up at 5:30 am. Karen was obviously sleeping and a bit groggy so mom explained to Karen she needed her help and asked her to go in with us to San Jose. Karen arrived here at 7am and we headed out for the ferry at 7:30am. It was so very kind and sweet of her to come with us, as she had friends flying in as well to visit them that day.

We went straight to CIMA and did our routine investigations, urine test, culture, and blood. Sure enough my urine exam came back positive and my white blood cells highs. I had another urinary tract infection! I am thinking are you kidding me? I just had one a month ago. Why is this? I take prophylactic antibiotics daily and yet I still get these infections. Why? We have ran every test out there and yet nothing shows up or gives proof that I have a valid reason for getting these infections. Mom cleans down there obsessively. The only thing anyone can figure is that since I am not moving around and working all my muscles that maybe bacteria is more abundant down there.

Dr. Zuniga decided not to admit me to the hospital but told us to go to the hotel and stay around for a few days. My fever kept coming back, for two days I had temps of 102. Mom was scared and I freaked her and Karen out a few times by holding my breath and going blue for a few seconds. I always was worse at night. I would start to tremble and get chills right before my fever would spike. I was having difficulty breathing as well when I started to get my fever.  I was not going to the bathroom regularly and was holding it in as it hurt too bad to pee. I sure hope these antibiotics take effect soon as I hate feeling like this.

Sofia, her mom, and Johnny came by to see me. They arrived right when I was beginning to tremble. I was not doing so well. We did not have much time to visit as I felt terrible. Twice I went blue not for long but enough to scare my mom and Karen! Seizures, fever, and infection do not blend well at all! Dra. Castro does not like that my fever is still high so has asked me to come in to see her so I can get a intramuscular shot in the bootie to hopefully speed up killing this bacteria. It is Ecoli. I always get Ecoli. Some of you might think how does she get Ecoli?  It is not the Ecoli from food but the Ecoli that is found in 90% of all urinary tract infections. I hope we can figure something out soon! I have been feeling so good except for these urinary tract infections!

We finally headed home on late Wednesday afternoon. I was ready to go home but was exhausted and we had a long drive ahead of us. Auntie Karen sat in the back with me and gave me my lunch. I was sleeping so deeply and with my mouth wide open that when mom looked in the review view mirror she says to Karen “is Malia breathing”? Karen looks at me and then mom says it again….. Then the next thing you know Karen shakes my chest and I wake right up startled looking at them both like why in the world are you waking me from this great sleep? Geez, ladies.

We got home by sunset. We had a grand welcome party!  Dad, Selva, Indio George and the friends that had flown in the day we left to see Karen, and of course I got to meet my cousin Brent for the first time! I was so glad to be back home. Time to recover  and then it is back to San Jose to take another urine culture to make sure the bacteria is totally gone.

Whew, what a long week!

Love Malia

By

Hola!

Since Olga left, Maria has been coming to play with me everyday for a few hours. Maria is much fun to hang out with! Malia is my friend more so than a therapist. Even though Maria is not a physical therapist Mom showed her how to stretch me and do a few exercises with me. She does a very good job! What I like about Maria is that she is silly and likes to play with me more than work me out!  She loves to sing and dance with me. She gives me my lunch too and is constantly showing me my games and songs on my Ipad which I love!

My mom interviewed a girl named Doris in Cobano on Wednesday. She is a physical therapist and lives in Paquera. My mom liked her and she does have experience, not so much with children but she has been working in the field for five years. The nice thing about Doris is that she is from the Nicoya Penisula. She knows what it is like to live on this side and her family is only a hour away. My mom told her that even though mom liked her it would be me that had the final say on whether or not she gets the job.  She is planning on coming out next Monday to spend the day with me and work out with me.

Sofia had interviewed a girl in San Jose the same day mom was interviewing Doris. Sofia liked her and said she had passed the first test! Mom had called her to schedule when she could come out to work with me but Dayana said she would not be able to come as a family member had a car accident and she was going to be giving physical therapy to him. She was interested in the position but said she did not know how long she would be giving therapy to her family member. Thanks Sofia, for taking time out of your day to interview for us! It sure is a big help! 🙂 Hopefully we will have more people to interview soon as we are posting on the University’s facebook page for my therapist.

On Saturday my dad went down to the market to sell plants in St. Teresa and me and mom stayed at home. It is really dusty right now and the road to St. Teresa is very dusty it is not great for my lungs to be around all that dust so we stayed home instead. Later that afternoon, once I woke up from my nap my mom called Maritza my friend Genesis’s mom and asked if they wanted to come over for a swim.  We all went swimming and had a great time.  What a great way to end a wonderful week.

Love Malia xo