Here is my coupon trip from 7/10. I like keeping track of stuff just so I know later on down the road what all I have been able to get at what price.
CVS PhARMACY:
Garnier Fructis Smoothing Milk Hair Gel - Originally $4.67
- On sale for 3/$10 (so $3.33 each)
- Had 3 $1 off coupons, so each of them was $2.22
Garnier Herbashine Hair Color - originally $8.29
- On Sale for $7.00
- Had a $3 off coupon - so was $4.00
When you spent $15 dollars on Garnier products, you received $5 extracare bucks (so that is $1.25 off each item)
- Smoothing milk ended up being $0.97 each
- Hair Color ended up being $2.75
Skintimate Shave Gel - Originally $3.49
- On sale for $1.99
- Had a $0.55 off coupon so paid $1.44
Kellogg's Crispy Nut Cereal - Originally $3.99
- On sale for $2.49
- Had a $0.70 off coupon - paid $1.44
Pampers Diapers box of 70 - Originally $24.69
- On Sale for $19.99
- Had a $2.00 off coupon - so made it $17.99
- Received $5 extracare bucks, so paid $12.99
WALGREENS PHARMACY
Curad bandages - originally $2.49
- On sale for $1.49
- Had a $0.50 off coupon - paid $0.99
Honey Crisp Cheerios General Mills - Originally $4.99
- On sale for 2/$4
- Had a $1.00 coupon for 2 - so it was 2/$3 - or $1.50 each
Hugges Wipes small pack - originally $3.99
- On sale for $2.49
- Walgreens coupon for $1.00 off - so paid $1.49
Charmin 6 roll - Originally $4.49
- On sale for $2.99
- Had $0.25 off coupon - paid $2.74
Colgate Toothpaste - Originally $3.29
- On Sale for $1 each
- Had $0.75 off coupon, so paid $0.25 (bought 3 of these)
Revlon Color Silk -
- On sale for $2.39
- Had $1/2 coupon - paid $3.78 for 2, so $1.89 each
Monday, July 11, 2011
Asthma Action Plan
We trialed Brooklynn on asthma Flovent medicine. We didn't know if it really worked on Brooklynn's cough or if it was just time so I wasn't convinced she needed to be on medication. So we weaned her off the Flovent. Within 4 days she was coughing, sounding congested, especially after her sleep. So we put her back on the Flovent once a day and it worked on her cough. So we went to the doctor today, who said we should probably just bite the bullet and say she has asthma. We created an asthma action plan - for "green" or how she is now we will do 1 time a day of Flovent, with albuterol for breakthrough. If she has more trouble, than we go to twice a day flovent for 14 days, or her yellow zone. If she gets in the red zone we need to be seen and do albuterol breakthrough medication and have to be prescribed a steroid. Hopefully we never get here.
I also spoke with the doctor about Brooklynn's sleep study. I don't know if you recall, but we found out she has periodic limb movement disorder. Which means she moves her limbs frequently during the night, preventing her from getting good adequate sleep. So we started the iron.
I am a freak of a mom, and since I work in the hospital, I always go to medical records and get all her tests and consults so that I can keep record of all the specialized tests. I also am a visual person so I have to see what they are telling me. Well, reading the report they mentioned some things that they consider to be "normal" but to me doesn't seem quite so normal.
She had 18 periods of central apnea, which I guess can sometimes be considered a normal thing. She did not get woken up by these or stir, except maybe a few times, so this was considered "insignificant". To me, in my NICU mindset, central apnea is not a good thing. But I guess I am wrong. She had 4 episodes of obstructive sleep apnea or hypopnea (where she doesn't breath as well as she should), but none of these woke her up. They stated in their report that these could be underestimated because she only slept on her back 20% of the time, which is the worst position for obstructive sleep apnea. She had 5 episodes of desaturations, but only 86-89%. Again, I guess these are insignificant.
She had multiple periods where she desaturated from her normal range >3% (she would normally sit around 97%, but I guess she would fall down below that multiple times throughout the night). Again, they say this is normal.
She had a peak pCO2 of 51mmHg, which I guess is normal as well. I feel like, again, NICU mindset, 51 is not normal (normal range is 35-45mmHg, but I guess people have periods of having higher than this?)
She had one period of 5 minutes where she had 7 short, central apneic episodes, with desaturations ranging from 86-89%. To me that is significant, again they don't feel like it is.
I asked the doctor about this, and she stated she is not quite sure what to think. She has the opinion that the pulmonologist probably knows what is significant and what is not, but she will call them and ask them some more questions. I want to know how long these apneas were, why the are considered insignificant, and if I should be worried about these increasing when she gets sick. If she gets a stuffy nose, she sleeps so much more worse at night. Sam and I hear her waking up and gasping, and pausing her breathing after coughing, or even after she tosses and turns. But her sleep study doesn't reflect anything that we should be concerned about I guess. I asked if someone else looked at the sleep study, if they would find the same thing or if they would consider her episodes significant. She said let her call the pulmonologist and see what they say.
I don't want to sound like a crazy mom, or a crazy nurse. I want to trust what the doctor says, but I don't see how having multiple desaturation episodes at night is not significant, even if they are only into the upper 80's. Maybe I am being a freak. Maybe I should just relax. Maybe I need to just be happy that the doctor read it as normal and be on my way. But something keeps nagging in the back of my mind that tells me her sleep is not normal. I just wonder if this voice is one I should ignore and I am just worried for nothing.
Oh well. For now, she will continue to sleep in our room in her crib. Until Sam and I can get up the courage to try her in a separate room. I just don't know if I will ever feel comfortable with the way she sleeps.
I also spoke with the doctor about Brooklynn's sleep study. I don't know if you recall, but we found out she has periodic limb movement disorder. Which means she moves her limbs frequently during the night, preventing her from getting good adequate sleep. So we started the iron.
I am a freak of a mom, and since I work in the hospital, I always go to medical records and get all her tests and consults so that I can keep record of all the specialized tests. I also am a visual person so I have to see what they are telling me. Well, reading the report they mentioned some things that they consider to be "normal" but to me doesn't seem quite so normal.
She had 18 periods of central apnea, which I guess can sometimes be considered a normal thing. She did not get woken up by these or stir, except maybe a few times, so this was considered "insignificant". To me, in my NICU mindset, central apnea is not a good thing. But I guess I am wrong. She had 4 episodes of obstructive sleep apnea or hypopnea (where she doesn't breath as well as she should), but none of these woke her up. They stated in their report that these could be underestimated because she only slept on her back 20% of the time, which is the worst position for obstructive sleep apnea. She had 5 episodes of desaturations, but only 86-89%. Again, I guess these are insignificant.
She had multiple periods where she desaturated from her normal range >3% (she would normally sit around 97%, but I guess she would fall down below that multiple times throughout the night). Again, they say this is normal.
She had a peak pCO2 of 51mmHg, which I guess is normal as well. I feel like, again, NICU mindset, 51 is not normal (normal range is 35-45mmHg, but I guess people have periods of having higher than this?)
She had one period of 5 minutes where she had 7 short, central apneic episodes, with desaturations ranging from 86-89%. To me that is significant, again they don't feel like it is.
I asked the doctor about this, and she stated she is not quite sure what to think. She has the opinion that the pulmonologist probably knows what is significant and what is not, but she will call them and ask them some more questions. I want to know how long these apneas were, why the are considered insignificant, and if I should be worried about these increasing when she gets sick. If she gets a stuffy nose, she sleeps so much more worse at night. Sam and I hear her waking up and gasping, and pausing her breathing after coughing, or even after she tosses and turns. But her sleep study doesn't reflect anything that we should be concerned about I guess. I asked if someone else looked at the sleep study, if they would find the same thing or if they would consider her episodes significant. She said let her call the pulmonologist and see what they say.
I don't want to sound like a crazy mom, or a crazy nurse. I want to trust what the doctor says, but I don't see how having multiple desaturation episodes at night is not significant, even if they are only into the upper 80's. Maybe I am being a freak. Maybe I should just relax. Maybe I need to just be happy that the doctor read it as normal and be on my way. But something keeps nagging in the back of my mind that tells me her sleep is not normal. I just wonder if this voice is one I should ignore and I am just worried for nothing.
Oh well. For now, she will continue to sleep in our room in her crib. Until Sam and I can get up the courage to try her in a separate room. I just don't know if I will ever feel comfortable with the way she sleeps.
Some Recent Pictures
Here are some pictures. There are a few from Brooklynn's Cardiology appointment which included an EKG (where they watched the rhythm of her heart) and an echo (where they took pictures of her heart).
There are also pictures from the Fourth of July weekend. It was Izzy's first fishing trip and she LOVED it...she was really disappointed that we didn't catch any fish. We had a picnic at my parents house where we set off a few fireworks and let the kids hold some sparklers (with VERY close adult supervision - don't worry).
There are also pictures from the Fourth of July weekend. It was Izzy's first fishing trip and she LOVED it...she was really disappointed that we didn't catch any fish. We had a picnic at my parents house where we set off a few fireworks and let the kids hold some sparklers (with VERY close adult supervision - don't worry).
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Coupon Trip July 4th
So I went to do my weekly trip to CVS and Walgreens and did pretty good I think. I saved 53% off what I would have normally spent (this included items that I did not have really great coupons on but needed such as diapers). I told you I would keep track of things I did buy and I how I got them low so here goes.
At CVS:
Hershey Delight $1.19
- I used my extracare card at the kiosk and received a free hershey delight coupon. So after this coupon, this item was FREE!
Coke 2 Liter Originally Priced $1.99 on sale for 0.69. No coupons, just a good deal so I bought 2.
Gilette Fusion Razor Priced $9.99
- Had a $4.00 coupon, so down to $5.99
- Received $4.00 ExtraBucks, so paid $1.99 for this
Tampax 18 count Priced 3.99 on sale
- $1.00 of coupon, so down to $2.99
- Received $2.00 ExtraBucks, so paid $0.99
Mentos Gum On Sale for $0.99 each
- $1.00 off for 3
- Paid $1.97 for 3, or $0.66 each
Johnson's Baby Wash On sale for $2.99 - no coupon on this.
Just For Men Hair Color $6.99
- $2.00 off coupon
- Paid $4.99
Mitchum Deodarant On Sale from $3.99 for $1.99
- $0.75 off coupon
- Paid $1.24
Walgreens
Off Bug Spray On Sale for $4.99
- $1.00 off Walgreens coupon stacked with $0.75 manufacturer coupon
- Paid $3.24
Nabisco Crackers and Cookies On Sale for $1.99, and Buy 1 Get 1 Free
- Used $1.00 off 2 coupon
- Paid $0.99 for both, so $0.49 each
M&M Big Bag On Sale for $2.50
- Used $1.50 off 2 coupon
- Paid $1.75 each
- I goofed and I had a $1.00 off 2 Walgreens coupon on this, and it did not run through, but I did not take it back to get it fixed.
Energizer AA Batteries 4 pack On Sale for $2.99
- $1.00 off coupon
- Paid $1.99
Herbal Essence Shampoo and Conditioner Each on Sale for $3.00
- Had $3.00 off coupon x 2
- Received BOTH shampoo and Conditioner for FREE!!
Oral-B Toothbrush On Sale for $1.00 each
- $2.00 off 2 x 2 coupons
- Received 4 toothbrushes for FREE!!
That is my list from last week. Again, I definitely spent more money than that, but these are the big items I used coupons on. I still have room for improvement but I am getting better. We also have a stockpile building up, enough to last a few months for certain items, so now I am getting to a point that I won't have to buy so much unless it is a GREAT deal! Woohoo.
At CVS:
Hershey Delight $1.19
- I used my extracare card at the kiosk and received a free hershey delight coupon. So after this coupon, this item was FREE!
Coke 2 Liter Originally Priced $1.99 on sale for 0.69. No coupons, just a good deal so I bought 2.
Gilette Fusion Razor Priced $9.99
- Had a $4.00 coupon, so down to $5.99
- Received $4.00 ExtraBucks, so paid $1.99 for this
Tampax 18 count Priced 3.99 on sale
- $1.00 of coupon, so down to $2.99
- Received $2.00 ExtraBucks, so paid $0.99
Mentos Gum On Sale for $0.99 each
- $1.00 off for 3
- Paid $1.97 for 3, or $0.66 each
Johnson's Baby Wash On sale for $2.99 - no coupon on this.
Just For Men Hair Color $6.99
- $2.00 off coupon
- Paid $4.99
Mitchum Deodarant On Sale from $3.99 for $1.99
- $0.75 off coupon
- Paid $1.24
Walgreens
Off Bug Spray On Sale for $4.99
- $1.00 off Walgreens coupon stacked with $0.75 manufacturer coupon
- Paid $3.24
Nabisco Crackers and Cookies On Sale for $1.99, and Buy 1 Get 1 Free
- Used $1.00 off 2 coupon
- Paid $0.99 for both, so $0.49 each
M&M Big Bag On Sale for $2.50
- Used $1.50 off 2 coupon
- Paid $1.75 each
- I goofed and I had a $1.00 off 2 Walgreens coupon on this, and it did not run through, but I did not take it back to get it fixed.
Energizer AA Batteries 4 pack On Sale for $2.99
- $1.00 off coupon
- Paid $1.99
Herbal Essence Shampoo and Conditioner Each on Sale for $3.00
- Had $3.00 off coupon x 2
- Received BOTH shampoo and Conditioner for FREE!!
Oral-B Toothbrush On Sale for $1.00 each
- $2.00 off 2 x 2 coupons
- Received 4 toothbrushes for FREE!!
That is my list from last week. Again, I definitely spent more money than that, but these are the big items I used coupons on. I still have room for improvement but I am getting better. We also have a stockpile building up, enough to last a few months for certain items, so now I am getting to a point that I won't have to buy so much unless it is a GREAT deal! Woohoo.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Brooklynn's Labs
We got a call back from the sleep clinic. We had her iron levels and ferrittin levels drawn to check to see if this was causing her Periodic Limb Movements. Her iron was 58 (normal 50-120) and her ferritin was 14 (normal 6-21). I guess when they have this syndrome they like them to be higher, so they will be starting her on iron supplements twice a day.
She can not have dairy 1 hour before or 1 hour after, and we have to space it out from her prevacid by 1 hour. I have to give it to her on an empty stomach, with 100% vitamin C juice. It takes about 4-6 weeks for the effects to kick in, so we go back in 3 months to get levels drawn again and hope to see the levels higher. It is not something that needs to be treated long term, as long as she maintains her level.
So we shall see. Hope this helps.
She can not have dairy 1 hour before or 1 hour after, and we have to space it out from her prevacid by 1 hour. I have to give it to her on an empty stomach, with 100% vitamin C juice. It takes about 4-6 weeks for the effects to kick in, so we go back in 3 months to get levels drawn again and hope to see the levels higher. It is not something that needs to be treated long term, as long as she maintains her level.
So we shall see. Hope this helps.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
The Results Are In...
For the sleep study. We finally heard back from them yesterday with Brooklynn's sleep results.
Good news first - no obstructive sleep apnea! So that means she snores, but it does not physically effect her. Yay!
I knew there was SOMETHING they found though when they ended that statement with "so that's good news..."
Than came what they DID find. She has Periodic Limb Movement Disorder. There could be much worse. Still, I was expecting one answer and got another. This Disorder is where she unconsciously moves her limbs periodically throughout the night (legs, toes, knees) that takes her out of REM sleep. There is not much data on kids her age with this, it is a newer diagnosis. They said with older kids anything over 5 movements an hour would classify them in this realm, with adults it is anything over 12 movements an hour.
Brooklynn moved 12 times an hour randomly, and 20 times an hour periodically, so pretty much they say she has this disorder.
So what does this mean? Eventually it could cause mood disorders and ADHD, learning difficulties, etc since she does not get adequate REM sleep. There are ways to prevent this from happening.
We need to get her iron and ferrotin levels drawn because low iron (anemia) can cause these symptoms. Ferrotin delivers iron to the brain, the brain uses iron and produces dopamine, which helps with REM sleep and sleep cycles. So low iron would decrease the dopamine cycle. So if her levels are low, we will start her on 2 times a day iron supplements and reasses in 3 months. If she is still doing this, we will go for 3 more months at higher levels, and than reassess.
If the iron does not work there are other medications they can use, but they cause some major side effects. Looking it up online, they are benzodiazopenes and drugs used for Parkinsons. This step would require a lot of discussion.
Hopefully the iron works.
So not the worst news we could receive. Just more follow up needed, possibly another medication. But at least we do not need to worry about adenoid and tonsil removal at this time!
Good news first - no obstructive sleep apnea! So that means she snores, but it does not physically effect her. Yay!
I knew there was SOMETHING they found though when they ended that statement with "so that's good news..."
Than came what they DID find. She has Periodic Limb Movement Disorder. There could be much worse. Still, I was expecting one answer and got another. This Disorder is where she unconsciously moves her limbs periodically throughout the night (legs, toes, knees) that takes her out of REM sleep. There is not much data on kids her age with this, it is a newer diagnosis. They said with older kids anything over 5 movements an hour would classify them in this realm, with adults it is anything over 12 movements an hour.
Brooklynn moved 12 times an hour randomly, and 20 times an hour periodically, so pretty much they say she has this disorder.
So what does this mean? Eventually it could cause mood disorders and ADHD, learning difficulties, etc since she does not get adequate REM sleep. There are ways to prevent this from happening.
We need to get her iron and ferrotin levels drawn because low iron (anemia) can cause these symptoms. Ferrotin delivers iron to the brain, the brain uses iron and produces dopamine, which helps with REM sleep and sleep cycles. So low iron would decrease the dopamine cycle. So if her levels are low, we will start her on 2 times a day iron supplements and reasses in 3 months. If she is still doing this, we will go for 3 more months at higher levels, and than reassess.
If the iron does not work there are other medications they can use, but they cause some major side effects. Looking it up online, they are benzodiazopenes and drugs used for Parkinsons. This step would require a lot of discussion.
Hopefully the iron works.
So not the worst news we could receive. Just more follow up needed, possibly another medication. But at least we do not need to worry about adenoid and tonsil removal at this time!
Friday, June 17, 2011
My first adventure in couponing...
So as many of you know I have started couponing...this is my first week. I am really starting to keep my eye out for deals. So far I have made 1 really great purchase (hey it's a start) and have 3 rainchecks. I was really upset that I couldn't do anything more than this but I guess it's an okay start. All at CVS...
I bought Mitchum Advanced Control Deodarant - original price $3.99. On Sale for $1.99. Had a 0.75 cent coupon. So got it for $1.25. Not too shabby.
I have 3 rainchecks too since they were out of the product:
- Charmin 4 count toilet paper - original price $4.99. On sale for $2.99. Have a $1 off coupon. Final price: $1.99
- Schick Hydro Razor - Original Price $8.99, on sale for $8.00. Have a $4.00 off coupon. Will receive $4.00 extra bucks to use on a future purchase. Final Price: Practically Free
- Colgate Total - Original Price $3.69. On sale for buy one get one free. Have two $1 off coupon. Final price: 0.85 cents each.
Stay tuned for some more success stories (I hope). One day I hope to have a $200 bill that I got down to <$100! We shall see :)
I bought Mitchum Advanced Control Deodarant - original price $3.99. On Sale for $1.99. Had a 0.75 cent coupon. So got it for $1.25. Not too shabby.
I have 3 rainchecks too since they were out of the product:
- Charmin 4 count toilet paper - original price $4.99. On sale for $2.99. Have a $1 off coupon. Final price: $1.99
- Schick Hydro Razor - Original Price $8.99, on sale for $8.00. Have a $4.00 off coupon. Will receive $4.00 extra bucks to use on a future purchase. Final Price: Practically Free
- Colgate Total - Original Price $3.69. On sale for buy one get one free. Have two $1 off coupon. Final price: 0.85 cents each.
Stay tuned for some more success stories (I hope). One day I hope to have a $200 bill that I got down to <$100! We shall see :)
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