We Made It!!

We made it through the weekend with no pain! Whoo Hoo! Zachary did very well with his exercises and it has paid off.

The anticipation of the weekend ...

Oh dear! Dr. Brown is going out of town tomorrow and we are on our own over the weekend. I so wished now I had a chiropractors degree. How handy it would be for times like these. We're going in today to see Dr. Brown before he leaves and we're hoping and praying that Z can make it to Monday with no pain.

Argh!! Yes, Here We Go Again & A Little Education

I took Z to get adjusted by Dr. Brown this afternoon, unfortunately the pain is back again, it started at 9:45. Robert adjusted Z with Z laying on his stomach. Zachary prefers this technique more than the "bear hug"and it seems to work a good bit of the time. It is now 10:13 and Z is trying to rest. I try not to question the reasons for this recurrence of Z's pain as I know that there is a reason for everything. I'm just tired of the emotional roller coaster that comes with it.
I went to Eva's house today and received some education on different herbal supplements. We've been to all kinds of doctors and we're pretty much at a stand still as they can NOT operate on Z nor can they offer a cure for his pain. Well, they could offer to teach him to breath through his pain and ... well, that just isn't good enough for us. Eva is not a doctor, but a friend that has studied herbs for a long time. She directed me to a few websites and I am researching this avenue once again. Eva was one of the first people I went to when Z first started having pain. Isn't it funny how sometimes our path circles back around?
I'm going to put Z back on Wobenzym N it is a dietary supplement for Healthy Inflammation and Joint Support. It supports the body's Natural Inflammation Response, Increases Flexibility and Mobility, and provides temporary relief from aches, pains and muscle soreness due to everyday activity. He will stay on this while I am looking for another way to help treat his pain.
Z has been seeing Dr. Brown 3 times a week because his pain has returned.

Another Episode ....

Zachary's pain started at 6:52 it was at a pain level of 7. It's been a long time since we've seen this number and I'm a bit concerned as I feel like we've been tossed into a DeJa Vu. :( With Zachary laying on his stomach I massaged his back and then had him put his arms to his side and adjusted his back for him. I'm not able to do the "bear hug" on Z anymore. It just doesn't seem to work for me anymore. So, I've resorted to this technique and with it I was able to bring Z down to a 4 on the pain scale, however he did not remain there for long. His pain kept fluctuating from 4 to 7. After feeding the missionaries and having them and Robert give Z a blessing we headed out to take them home. After picking up Casey from work we went to Brent and Christie's place as Brent has a table and is able to adjust Zachary. Dr. Brown was out of town and Brent was able to adjust Z for us. Can I just say? To have a friend that is able to adjust our son when his chiropractor is out of town is a blessing, and just another testament that our Father in Heaven provides us with what we stand in need of.
After the adjustment Z's pain plummeted to a zero within a short amount of time. And we were able to take him home. He slept through the night and was fine when he woke up.

Learning About Essential Oils

I've been introduced to a company called doTerra which sells essential oils ...

dōTERRA (CPTG) Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade^® essential oils represent the safest, purest, and most beneficial essential oils available today. They are gently and skillfully distilled from plants that have been patiently harvested at the perfect moment by experienced growers from around the world for ideal extract composition and efficacy. Experienced essential oil users will immediately recognize dōTERRA's superior quality standard for naturally safe, purely effective therapeutic-grade essential oils.


Essential oils are natural aromatic compounds found in the seeds, bark, stems, roots, flowers, and other parts of plants. They can be both beautifully and powerfully fragrant. If you have ever enjoyed the gift of a rose, a walk by a field of lavender, or the smell of fresh cut mint, you have experienced the aromatic qualities of essential oils. In addition to giving plants their distinctive smells, essential oils provide plants with protection against predators and disease and play a role in plant pollination.
Essential oils are non water-based phytochemicals made up of volatile organic compounds. Although they are fat soluble, they do not include fatty lipids or acids found in vegetable and animal oils. Essential oils are very clean, almost crisp, to the touch and are immediately absorbed by the skin. Pure, unadulterated essential oils are translucent and range in color from crystal clear to deep blue.

Try this at home: Squeeze the peel of a ripe orange. The fragrant residue on your hand is full of essential oils.

In addition to their intrinsic benefits to plants and being beautifully fragrant to people, essential oils have been used throughout history in many cultures for their medicinal and therapeutic benefits. Modern scientific study and trends towards more holistic approaches to wellness are driving a revival and new discovery of essential oil health applications.

I'm not sure if this will help Z with his pain or even with the healing process, but I feel we've got nothing to lose. I hope and pray that no one ever has to go through this kind of constant treasure hunt to find a cure for their child but if they are or if they ever do. I hope and pray that they understand that through adversity comes growth and triumph! I believe that there is a reason for everything. I believe that we are here to fulfill a purpose. I don't believe we are destined for the adversities we face I believe that with the choices we make, we are chosen to endure them so that we can learn and grow.

It's Back!

Pain started at 8:30 we gave Z Ginger Tea and Robert gave him a "bear hug", pain subsided around midnight.

Two Birthday's In One Day

Whew! What a day! One of Aubrey's friends came over early because her parents had to go to work early this morning, she's such a sweet little girl. With us having 7 kids one more is hardly noticed, lol. Then Aubrey's other friend came over, after her arrival we started to make homemade pizza's and then waited for Robert to arrive from dropping Casey off at work and picking up Zachary's friend. We had to wait because I left my phone charger in my friends car and he picked it up when he picked up Z's friend, lol Once the girls were done eating and Robert's arrival. All the girls departed and headed to the skating rink. While we were traveling the boys made and ate their pizza's and then they headed out to Circus World which is a big kid play place.
Skating was fun and painful. Those girls were a bagful of fun. We all fell and we all left with sore somethings, oddly enough none of those somethings were bums, lol. The list? Oh yes, the list ... we had a face plant which offered a bruise on the bridge of the nose, an elbow slam to the wall, three knees which will take a few days to recover from meeting the icy floor, and an ankle that may take longer to recover from loose skates. I've decided our ice skating gear today was missing a very important item .... a fat body suit like Robin Williams wears in Mrs. Doubtfire. Don't laugh, I'm serious! They should rent those suckers ..... I'd wear one!!
After licking our wounds we left the skating rink, went home and waited for the boys to arrive so we could have cake before leaving to go to Aubrey's basketball game. The boys were running behind so we went ahead and sang the birthday song had some cake and then we dropped one of Aubrey's friends off at her home and went to the game. The boys arrived just as we were walking out the door so they had their cake and then also headed out a bit later, dropped off Z's friend and then met us at the basketball game.
Zachary stepped over what he thought was a curb to a sidewalk but there was no sidewalk on the other side of it and then experienced some seriously intense pain. I'm thinking the unexpected bounce/jerk might have caused it. Robert gave him a bear hug squeeze and his pain subsided after just a few minutes. I was freaking out! It felt like a lifetime to me and I'm sure to Z as well. I contacted Dr. Brown to see if he could adjust Z just before his pain subsided. The bear hug doesn't seem to work anymore when I do it, it could be that Z is just to heavy for me, I'm not sure tho. I just know when he feels pain like that the memories of All that is associated with Zachary's pain comes flooding back it's very emotionally draining. I'm so grateful our son had such a wonderful day, even though not much of his day is posted, as I wasn't with him, but he was all smiles telling me about it. I choked back my tears of happiness listening to his excited happy voice. Oh, and Dr. Brown did check on Z after my freakout and my never mind he's fine text to him. I was happy to report that Z was still doing fine. Oh, and..... Aubrey's team won 7 to 5 it was an awesome game!! And an awesome day ...
Z did have some pain when we got home but I gave him some ginger tea and he seems to be doing fine now.
We're counting a few more blessings this evening ;)

Checking For Unexpected Changes

Dr. Brown did xrays to check on Z's spine to be sure there were no unexpected changes. After reviewing the xrays Dr. Brown came to the conclusion that Z was either not doing his exercises properly or not doing them at all. As a witness, Z does not do them as often as he obviously should. So? Zachary is going to be just fine and the pain will go away soon. Zachary has to strengthen the muscles around the ligament that is torn in his neck so that it can prevent the vertebra the ligament once held in place from slipping. When that vertebra slips it puts pressure on Z's spinal cord which causes excruciating pain to his leg.

So there you have it! Z is going to be just fine!! With the help of some reminder pictures and such hanging on walls we hope to have Z in the habit of doing these exercises often.

We're calling this, "Dr. Brown's One Hand Salute"

An Update!

His pain seems to be slowly returning ... I'm a bit nervous because we were on such a clear pain free road .... Dr. Brown tried a new adjustment on Z before Christmas break he did well until the 1st. We had to take Z in for an adjustment late that evening and now he's in pain again. We will be going to Dr. Brown's first thing in the morning. 
We're asking our family and friends to please pray for Z to bounce back quickly and get back on the road where pain is seldom stumbled upon. 

Before Christmas Zachary had been doing very well. When my blog is quiet that means he is a happy boy and has no pain and there is not much to report. It also means that I am taking a step back and counting the blessing of having a pain free child, just in case you were wondering. :)