General Fulton Update

Hello everyone! Generally my silence means life is busy- which is a good thing. Busy is our 'normal' around here and we all are ready for more 'normal' to be sure!

We are finishing up school as best we can, although we are still a bit behind. I am also continuing to pursue my clinical master's certification in herbal medicine in hopes of better understanding how to help Fulton heal. God is so good to have given us so many medicinal remedies! I just have to take the time to do all the trial and error it will take to find out what will work best for his head wounds and his scar tissue.

Fulton's head has been keeping us on our toes lately. For awhile there, it was getting so much better. He could even 'wash' his own head and proudly show us. "Look Mom!" rub rub "I can do it myself!"

The antifungals and calendula treatments were working so well and we really hoped we were finally going to be through with the head wounds and get to get him back into his face mask. The bulging tissues were receding and the redness was going away. We even happily cancelled our appointment in Galveston a little over a week ago, since they only wanted to see him if there was no improvement.

But now the worst areas have begun to open up, like a crown of thorns around his head. Tears and pain have taken over once again and he is angry and yet very snuggly now. I have resumed part of the headcare duties, since Fulton is now mad at Jay pretty much all the time for 'hurting his head'. Jay is a little more firm and does not take any nonsense from Fulton, and this usually results in a very good scrubbing (which is needed) but a very angry 5-year-old.

His tummy hurts and his appetite is diminished. We are so grateful for the case of Kid Essentials calorie booster we received in the mail the other day, as his weight is beginning to go down. If he loses too much weight, he may have to be readmitted until they can get him eating again. (I saw it happen from time to time when we were still there - and they were always talked about in hushed tones as though the parents were doing something awful to their children. I used to think, "How can you let your child lose weight?" But now I understand. And it is a bit frightening.) Let us pray it does not get that bad!

Fulton and I are headed back to Galveston next week for a quick clinic appointment to decide how much head work they will be doing in July. I so wanted to show them his improvements! :( He also needs to get remeasured for his pressure garments. Unfortunately the custom garments we received in the mail the other day were too loose around his upper chest and shoulder areas, and since he has significant scarring there (especially on the back of his shoulder) it is vital that the garments fit tightly. They warned me that we could be going there several times a month in the beginning. I understand why it has to be this way, but it sure does rupture the normal flow of homelife.

Please, for those of you who are still here, please pray that his head finally heals! His face, at this point, is a lost cause, since the critical time for him to wear his facemask has now passed. The scars will be large and mostly permanent. I know there is a reason why this is happening - I am just having a hard time figuring it out. I have since lost my devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus. I always seem to do better when I can separate myself from worldly ways, so perhaps I need to begin again and keep myself better focused on my faith instead of on the day to day trials. A week in a cloistered convent sounds heavenly right about now! I must regroup and recharge, and persevere in faith!

Wasn't our dear Papa BXVI so wise to proclaim this year the Year of Faith? Who knew?

Thank you all for your continued prayers and for fulfilling a few of our items on the Wish List. They are truly helping to ease some of this burden - and Fulton thinks it is funny that his head bandages magically appeared in a box on our porch! LOL!

Have a blessed weekend everyone, and I will keep you posted on our trip down South next week!

Schooltime Already?

J.M.J.

Just a quick post before bed.  I have a big day of planning and organizing tomorrow, and since Jay will be home, I hope to really take advantage of the help!

School has been a bit crazy the past few months for obvious reasons.  We were already a bit behind before the accident, and with Fulton's burn happening soon after Christmas, we were not in full school mode anyway.  Since returning, things have not gotten much better, as I am notoriously horrible at prioritizing my time. 

So here we are, the ides of June, and only one semester into last year's school year!  The children have since restarted their math lessons, which is good, but now I need to integrate more classes each day.  Praise God, Ryan finished up the last of his classes before flying off to Arizona to jump out of airplanes and train for deep water rescue (be still my pounding heart!) but there are other Poppe children who still need a lot of help.  Jay has been blessed with the opportunity to change his work schedule around - at least for the time being - to help take care of Fulton's morning and evening care.  His head continues to make progress, though the healing is slow.  There will be multiple trips back to Galveston this summer and fall, each requiring one or both of us to be away, so if anyone has any tips on how to get this done, I'm all ears!

We use Mother of Divine Grace curriculum and have enrolled the children so I have more accountability and the children will have official transcripts when they graduate.  I am so happy we decided to enroll!  My family counselor has done so much to pull me out of panic mode and keep me from despair, and offers me realistic solutions to schooling problems as they come up.  If for no other reason, I highly recommend MODG for the support they offer!  While signing them up for classes will probably be far beyond our budget this year, at least I know I can call my counselor when I get stuck.

My plan of attack is to get the children through Week 24 by the end of the summer.  I have some learning hurdles to overcome this year as well as time issues, so once again the Poppe family could use a few prayers.  I know you all are very practiced at that by now!  :)

I know that through Him all things are possible - I just can't wait to see how this is all going to work out!  I am always ready for miracles!

Happy Birthday, Fulton!

J.M.J.

June is a busy month for celebrating.  Fulton, Ryan and Marialina all have birthdays this month, plus Father's Day, and even a high school graduation to toss into the mix this year.

But today (June 10) is all about Fulton.

Today is a special day for Jay and I, as we silently acknowledged that this birthday might not have come at all.  For a few weeks, Fulton was touch and go at the hospital and I feared more than a few nights that he would not be with us when I returned to his room in the morning.  So many nights I slept in the hospital 'dorm room' 2 floors above him, willing the ventilator to keep him breathing and praying the night nurse would not leave his side.  And praying even harder that no nurse would come knocking on my door.  Praise God and the Blessed Mother he survived! 

SO needless to say, there were some pretty wet eyes this morning as we all wished him a happy birthday!

We do birthdays in a very low key way here overall.  2 presents from Mom and Dad and 2 from my mother, a special trip to Chucky Cheese (boys only - none of us girls were allowed!  LOL!) and dinner at La Fiesta.  We came home to cupcakes and ice cream and the blessed news that he would not have to sleep in his supersuit.  Not that we planned on 'treating' him to this - I actually forgot to wash all his supersuits today and they take more than a day to dry, so TA-DA!  Instant birthday surprise!  **sigh**

I would love to post a mini photo timeline of Fulton, but our computer crashed and all his photos were stored in it.  :'(  But I do have a few in this computer, so I will see what I am able to post here.


Thank you all yet again for your prayers - they are truly cherished!





He was always a little guy!





Shannon was and always will be his favorite!

Always the center of attention

And always ready for a smile

 

Yet ever mindful of the serious side of life

And willing to take on the role of Big Brother

I pray it is not his tragedy that defines him

 



But rather with our love surrounding him

 

May the fire be the source of refinement that he may become all he was meant to be



HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY, FULTON! 
WE LOVE YOU!!!!!!

Thank You!

J.M.J.

Not a day goes by when I am not eternally grateful for the tremendous amount of love and support shown to us as we carry this current cross.  For many weeks, I survived on nothing but prayers sent above by people I will never meet this side of life.  And since I will not meet so many of you in person, I just want to say THANK YOU for all you have done for Fulton and my entire family.

Bless you all!

Some Days Are Harder Than Others

J.M.J.

Every once and awhile I will break down and post it like it is.  This whole burn thing really stinks and today was an especially difficult day.  It is not just the drama of his care, the pain he is in, and the emotional stress and heartache - really, I suppose, it is just not knowing what is happening to his skin on his head and not seeing any end to his suffering any time soon.  Oh Great Physician, please enlighten the doctors and guide them towards a cure!  

And if anyone has any suggestions or knows a dermatologist, I'm all ears!

The following is a post I put up on Facebook earlier this evening:

Another spot on his head was starting to ooze, so I am now actively tending to 3 major areas on his head. 4 spots on the left side, a strip at his hairline on the right side and a patch behind his right ear. I applied the first calendula treatment last night and it completely broke through the scabs overnight (this stuff is amazing!) So now it will be a matter of getting it all out of his hair. The consistency is similar to a mixture of peanutbutter and gum, so I am sure you can imagine how difficult it is to get this out of his hair in areas where his nerves are exposed. This morning's cleaning and bandage change took almost 3 hours. That was not 3 hours of constant work, mind you, but it was a tiresme process all the same. (This evening's bandage change went much faster, thanks to Jay pitching in and taking over.)


left side

I try to do it in pieces to lessen the trauma. I honestly do not know what else to do with this. While the smaller patches are responding well to antifungal treatment, the bigger spots continue to grow. He currently has 8 spots 'exposed' - each one being either an inch or half an inch in diameter, with additional large spots under scabs. He is going in next week, so I am not going to even touch those areas. He already has more than he can handle as far as pain goes. Thankfully, despite how tender these spots are, they are not looking infected. But every day they are not healed leaves him open to that risk, so please continue to pray.

Aside from the pain he is in, the worst part of this is his anger at me. He frequently asks me to leave the room and says he does not like me, etc. There are times in the evening when he sorrowfully apologizes for his behavior and when he curls up with me and says, "Mom, I like you" which is beautiful, but more often than not I am the dreaded 2 headed monster who constantly chases him around with a soapy washcloth, medicine syringes and blood pressure cuffs. I am so grateful Jay does not have to do this all day, too, so that Fulton has a parent he feels more relaxed with.

I understand this is the way it has to be for now, but it still hurts a lot. My head knows this will get better and one day he might come to know what I try to do for him. But it is not about being appreciated. This is my cross and while I am trying to carry it well for Our Lord, it hurts to see that this love I have is somehow not being transferred to my son - that he is somehow not picking up on my love and is instead pushing me away.

But enough about me. :)
Thank you for your continued prayers - I look forward to reporting more good news in the future and not so much depressing stuff!

We Are Safe!

J.M.J.

Praise God, we have been spared the tragedy of a tornado once again.  Our tears and prayers pour forth for our fellow Oklahoma families who were struck by tonight's terrifying fury.

I do not dare question God's Holy Will.  I only pray that each soul that was called Home was in a state of grace and will one day enjoy the Heavenly abode Our Lord has won for them through His most Precious Blood.

 

Enter not into judgment with Thy servants, O Lord; for, save Thou grant them forgiveness of all their sins, no man shall be justified in Thy sight. Wherefore suffer not, we beseech Thee, the sentence Thou pronouncest in judgment upon the ones whom the faithful prayer of Christian people commends to Thee, to be a doom which shall crush them utterly. Rather succor them by Thy gracious favor, that they may escape Thine avenging justice who, in his lifetime, was signed with the seal of the holy Trinity. Who livest and reignest world without end.

R.: Amen.

St. Anthony, Where Are You?

J.M.J.

Rumor has it I write a blog.  Sorry for the long silence, but time has been short lately.  In fact I should be in bed right now, but I can't seem to find Fulton's mouth stretcher and I have finally decided to let St Anthony take over while I put some words on this blog before bed.

As I write this, I realize I have lost something else besides the mouth stretcher.  Actually, I have lost many things.  Time.  Grace.  Patience.  Sleep.  And a few marbles, too.  In fact, I have lost just about everything, except the 40 pounds that continue to stick with me through thick and...(well, hopefully those pounds won't stay with me through the 'thin'!)

I will be painfully honest with you: Ever since returning home, everything has been a fabulous source of sanctification for me.  And luckily for the rest of the family, I have been a great source of sanctification for all of them as well.  Bound together by love, loyalty, and the unavailability of extra vehicles to aid our escape, we are beginning to adjust to the new demands on my time and adapt to new personality traits that have emerged in Fulton.  And in myself.

I was always been a bit frazzled and forgetful, but since returning home I think I am beginning to lose my mind.  The house is a mess.  I spend far too much time looking for things.  And I have completely deleted far too many conversations I have had with people.  I couldn't even tell you how many times Jay has heard me say, "I am so sorry!  I completely forgot to...."

While the forgetfulness is certainly annoying, it is my newly perfected skills at misplacing things that is really a problem.  Fulton's care requires so many items, it would be hard for a Martha Stewart type person to keep track of it all, let alone me.  His blood pressure cuff, medical syringes, pressure garments, lotions and potions, etc is a lot of 'stuff' to handle on a daily basis, so it was off to the antique store for me! 

We came home with a lovely 3 shelf hutch with a cabinet underneath to put in our bedroom.  I could have settled for a cheap Walmart bookcase or something, but ugly and clutter make me crazy (although you'd never guess that based on how the house looks) so I spent the same amount on a real piece of furniture.  I still need to get a basket or two to hold the multitude of tiny but oh-so-important items in my medical collection, but overall I am quite pleased with the new addition.  I am still losing things on a regular basis though, and am considering making St Anthony my new favorite Saint, but overall there is a marked improvement.

It is still ugly and cluttered, but hopefully after a few more rustic looking baskets these shelves will be a little easier to look at first thing in the morning.  Meanwhile I will continue to try to Lord willing, this is just a phase of readjustment and I will eventually become a more helpful addition to the rest of the family.  But for the time being, we have all come to the understanding that Mommy is still Fulton's special helper.   I will NOT forget that!

I continue to strive to transform his care into acts of love, thanksgiving and reparation to Our Lord and offer up our sufferings to The One who has done so much for us.  I continue to see Our Lord Crucified in Fulton's little face and am learning to love on a whole new level.  And I am continuing to lose my sense of 'self', slowly but surely, and that is one thing I hope will stay lost forever!

For everything else that I continue to lose, it is good to know that I have St Anthony to back me up!

Saint Anthony, perfect imitator of Jesus, who received from God the special power of restoring lost things, grant that I may find (mention your petition) which has been lost. As least restore to me peace and tranquility of mind, the loss of which has afflicted me even more than my material loss.

To this favor I ask another of you: that I may always remain in possession of the true good that is God. Let me rather lose all things than lose God, my supreme good. Let me never suffer the loss of my greatest treasure, eternal life with God. Amen.

St Anthony, pray for me!