Diagnosis - Skeeter Syndrome

Kaman came up to me yesterday morning complaining that his arm itched again. At first I thought his infection had come back again and panicked. Then I looked up his pictures from a couple months ago to see if it was the same arm - it wasn't. It was in the same spot, but a different arm. So, then I tried to figure out if Kaman had been bitten by another spider. What are the chances? I looked him over and noticed he had 2 other mosquito bites - one on his back and one on his left leg. I came to the conclusion that he had just been bitten by a mosquito. Which made me realize that he was probably bitten by a mosquito last time, not a spider. His reaction this time was the same - blister, puss, rash, redness, swelling, hot, and tight.

Of course, I immediately took him to the doctor so we could catch this as soon as possible and save us another trip to the E.R. We were given antibiotics (Cephalexin), a corticosteroid used to treat severe allergies (Prednisolone), and an antihistamine (xyzal). We're only on the second day and we're hoping and praying it doesn't escalate.

Apparently if you have severe reactions like this to mosquito bites it is called Skeeter Syndrome. Kaman swells up really bad only on his face and arms when bitten by a mosquito. I guess we'll need to be more careful at keeping him covered with bug spray. Poor little boy.

The bite is the shiny spot on the upper part of the dotted lines. We drew the dotted lines last night, and as you can see the redness has gone past those marks.

You Did What?!?!

Since I've left you all hanging the last couple of months, I'll catch you up on what we did over the summer. Prepare for a plethora of pictures...

After losing the weight on the HCG diet. (best picture I could find)
we decided to take a vacation to beautiful Hawaii...

where we searched out the filming locations for the t.v. show LOST...

and to my dismay when I got home, I discovered I had gained 10 pounds! But, I did end up losing 8 of those pounds (thank goodness!)

April rolled around and we had a great Easter...

The end of May Kaman graduated from his first year of pre school...
For the girls school dance festival Danielle danced to Hannah Montana's "Hoe Down Throw Down".

and Ashley danced to Michael Jackson's "Triller".

Also the end of May, Duane began the long process of moving his blind/shutter factory to Lindon. Duane is really excited about the move and has helped him be optimistic about the future.

The girls played lots of soccer.


In June, Kaman was playing at Papa and Grandma Thompson's house and was biten by a spider (we think). We started him on antibiotics, which weren't working, and ended up taking him to the E.R., where they gave him an I.V. To save money, we were taught how to inject his antibotics and sent home. What's ironic is we received the bill a couple weeks later and it showed an E.R. charge for $32,000. We found out later it was a typo. Phew!
The end of June, we took a trip to California with my sister, Heather, and her family.
We went to the San Diego Zoo...
and Sea World, where we feed the seals and a sneaky bird who took the fish right out of the girls hands.
we petted the sting rays.
later in the week we spent a couple hours at the beach.

This was Kaman's first time at the beach and he loved every minute!

We had fun at Disneyland for a couple days...



and we went to Universal Studios...


This is the movie "War of the Worlds" set
and this is Norman Bates from the movie "Psycho". He almost got us.

We had lots of fun, but needed a couple days to recover when we got home.

For the 4th of July, Danielle and I ran the Freedom Festival 5k and beat our time last year by 5 minutes.

Then we had breakfast with the Thompson family and headed over to the parade, where the kids enjoyed the floats...
(like father, like son)

and us parents enjoyed a nap.

Every summer we enjoy the many fireworks that go on in the valley.


We also celebrated Kaman's 4th birthday. He's growing up way to fast!

Danielle spent most of the summer going to her swim team practices and participating in swim meets every couple weeks. She did really well this year and ended up taking 1st place in back stroke one meet and 3rd place in freestyle another meet. We're so proud of her!

Danielle also spent a week at Clear Creek and had a great time! She said there were ALOT of girls who were crying every night because of home sickness, but she was as happy as a clam being by herself.

We picked up Danielle from Clear Creek on our way to Lake Powell where we spent 2 days. One of which we relaxed in the warm sunshine.



The last night/day we suffered through torrential rain, but were able to see sights at Lake Powell we've never seen before.

We've had an eventful summer and we're so blessed to be able to experience so much in our life.

sorry, MIA...

I know it's been a while since I posted. I haven't figured out my new Mac computer and I have no idea how to down load my pictures. So, until I figure it out, there won't be to many posts. Stay tuned...

end of HCG update...

Saturday I woke up to a 1 pound weight loss and Sunday morning I had a .8oz loss. I was within 1 pound of my goal weight...yeah! Sunday was my first day on the no starch/sugar diet and I had eggs for breakfast, an orange before church, skipped lunch because of church and then a huge salad with grilled chicken and homemade ranch dressing (no sugar in homemade) for dinner. Oh and strawberries for dessert. Well, I wolk up this morning and gained a pound....hmmmm. Maybe I'm retaining water?! Let's hope the scale goes back down or at least stays there.

So I lost a total of 14 pounds!

If you're an eat-to-live kind of a person this diet won't be to hard. But if you're a live-to-eat person, most likely you LOVE food and having to eat the same thing every day will be agony.

I liked this diet because it helped me get re focused on what foods are good for me & what I should and shouldn't be putting in my body.

Now the next step is to start working out and get my body toned & maintain this new bod.

Day 19... +.8oz

Gained all the weight I lost from yesterday... +.8oz. I was painting my daughters room yesterday and just realized this morning that I touched the paint. Big mistake.

Ok, now I'm worried. I won't make it to my goal unless I lose 1.5 lbs a day. Only 2 more weigh in's before I have to increase my calories and maintain. Then afterwards I can try and lose again on my own. Frustrating!

Day 18...-.8oz.

Lost .8 pounds!!

I might just make it.

I tried the apple cider vinegar & the 1/2 lemon in a glass of water yesterday to see if it would help me lose more...YUCK!! Never again. I think I'll stick with the hot baths, those are much more pleasant. I ran out of drops - not enough to take this morning & tonight, so today is my official first day off the drops. I'm hoping I can make it on 500 calories without the drops. I'm a little scared.

I am not only excited to eat again, but I can use lotion - my hands are SO dry.

Day 18...

More suggestions on losing weight faster...

Someone posted this on a HCG site. More suggestions to lose weight faster...

Try taking nightly detox baths, 2Tbsp apple cider vinegar per day(diluted in water), cut out all apples and have 1/2 grapefruit as your dinner fruit, increase your water to as much as you can handle and try to not eat past 6-6:30pm. Also try squeezing 1/2 lemon in a small glass of water and drink it in the morning and use the other half to do same thing in the evening.

Day #17...-1.0lb

1 whole pound down! Yeah! So far I've lost 12 pounds!

The only thing I did different yesterday was drink 96 oz. of water and take another HOT bath. I think I found my secret weapon. Only 3 pounds left. Tomorrow I stop the drops and go 3 days eating 500 calories without them. Then I have to maintain my weight for 3 weeks.

Here's what I've been eating EVERY single day...

9:00am - take drops
9:30am - drink 12 oz. water
10:00am - orange (about 100 calories), 12 oz. water
12:30pm - 3oz. chicken w/ creole seasoning (94 calories), 1 cucumber (20 calories), 2 melba snacks (25 calories) 12 oz. water
IN BETWEEN LUNCH & DINNER - 12 oz. water
6:00pm - take drops
7:00pm - 3oz. sirloin steak w/ salt & pepper(160 calories), cherry tomatoes (20 calories), 12 oz. water
HOPEFULLY GET IN ANOTHER 12 OZ. OF WATER
9:30pm - apple (86 calories) or strawberries (40 calories), 12 oz. water

This diet is not for everyone. If you have health problems, I would recommend talking to your doctor before you start. My sister-in-law wanted to do this diet but her doctor told her she couldn't.

Other than those meeting the criteria below, anyone over the age of 16, male or female can take HCG.

*Pregnancy or Lactation—If you become pregnant during treatments, you should stop.
*Cancer and/or Tumors
*Large Uterine Fibroids
*Gallbladder Colic or Attacks—Resolve dietary issues and stop acute gallbladder attacks before beginning the program.
*Heart Disease—You must be stable and have a clear ECG for three months prior to and periodically during treatment. You should obtain approval for the program from your cardiologist.
*Healing Fractures—Wait until healed to start. Fractures that happen during the program are handled on a case-by-case basis and you should consult your personal doctor.

Day 17... -.6oz

Another .6 pounds down! And only 4 more to go. Hopefully I can get there in the next 6 weigh ins.

I think taking those hot baths might be helping.
I also switched my deodorant and my body wash this week too. Kind of a last minute switch, but I needed to find something that would speed up my weight loss.
This diet gets a lot easier the last week and a half. I actually have to watch myself because I can eat under my calories and have no idea.
Day 17...

Day 15... -1.6lbs

Lost 1.6lbs. Thank goodness.
I took a long, HOT bath last night hoping I could sweat off some pounds - it worked.
I was a little off with my eating schedule, but it looks like it didn't make a difference.
It was hard to watch my family eat that great smelling roast last night, and to top it off Duane made cookies. Grrrrrr!
I'll be glad when I can eat and not feel guilty.
I have only 6 more days of this diet left.
I'm at the home stretch...

Day 14... +.4oz

I gained .4!

I have one more week left. Then I have to figure out what I can eat that has no sugar or starch in it.

Day 13... -1.0

I lost another pound today. It looks like my body is following a pattern - gain, lose a little, lose 1 pound, then lose another pound. I have 6 more pounds to go before my goal and I'm hoping to reach it in the next 8-9 days. Here's hoping my body cooperates.

Day 12...-.6 oz.

I only had a small lose today... .6 ounces.

I must be at a stall. Hopefully it doesn't last long, if not, I'll have to do an apple day (eat 6 apples from lunch to lunch the next day).

Here's a little info for those wondering what HCG is...

HCG stands for human chorionic gonadotropin. It is the hormone secreted by the cells that eventually become the placenta. While it does appear in trace amounts in pretty much all women--even non-pregnant and post-menopausal, when you become pregnant, it doubles every 48-72 hours until you're about 12-14 weeks along, then it slows down and plateaus. Home pregnancy tests and the blood tests you get at the doctor's measure for this to see if you're pregnant (to an amount that those non-pregnant and post-menopausal women wouldn't have in their bodies).

The four phases of this diet are: 1st phase is your "binge" days which lasts for 2 days where you eat as much fat/sugar/grease as you can. The 2nd phase is the 500 calorie diet plus the HCG drops for 3 weeks. The 3rd phase you stop taking the HCG drops for 3 days and only eat 500 calories. The 4th and final phase is your maintance phase - you need to have a minimum of 1500 calories of everything but starch and sugar for 3 weeks. This is the time your hypothalamus (small section the size of an almond in your brain that controls body temp., hunger, thirst, and fatigue) can reset itself. Then, you can resume your normal life and eat what you want (within reason). You don't want to go back to what you were eating before because it obviously wasn't doing you any favors.

Day 11... +.4oz

The scale didn't give me what I wanted today... I gained .4 oz.

I ate the same foods and stayed within 500 calories. I'm assuming it could have been a couple things: I salted my cucumbers, I only drank 64 oz. water, I touched Kaman's hand which had oil all over it, I cooked with oil and could have gotten some on my hands, and I washed the dishes (Duane's been kind enough to take over that job for me because I'm not sure what is in the dish soap). If I keep making these silly mistakes I won't reach my goal.

This is such a sensitive diet, you have to be very careful with everything. Not only is there no room for cheating with your food, but you have to be careful about your environment.

Day 10... -1.0lb

The scale was good to me today, I lost another pound. Yay! Total= 9 pounds.

I had a good day yesterday. I don't know what was up with me on Monday, but Tuesday was much better. I can see a difference and am so excited!

My soccer game went well, I only played about 8 minutes, but we won, again. And after wards, I felt awesome, so alive! I can't wait to get back to exercising so I can have that feeling every day.

My symptoms I talked about in a previous post aren't as bad anymore. I hardly get the swimmers ear sensation and only once in a while I'll get tunnel vision when I stand up. My heart has calmed down, except when I play soccer, of course. But, I still get weak and can't do much. I'll be glad when I'm done and can get back to my old self again. Day 10...

Day 9... -1.0lb

I lost another pound this morning!

Yesterday was one of the harder days. I was weak, tired, cranky, craving food and really cold. Not a good day. Hopefully today is better. I have another soccer game tonight. I was careful on Friday's game and didn't push myself so I should be ok tonight. I only played about 8 minutes but we won and I scored a goal so I did my part. I only have a week and a half left and I know I can do it. It's encouraging to see the weight come off everyday, otherwise this would be harder then it already is. So far, I've lost 8 pounds in 9 days, that's awesome! Normally it would take me two months to lose that. Ok, day 9 here we go...

Day 6, 7, & 8...(#6) -1.6lb (#7) +.2oz. (#8) -.6oz.

It's been a roller coaster ride this weekend with my weight - as I would expect it being Valentines, of course. I didn't cheat, but I did wear make-up on Saturday. Duane and I went to a wedding for a friend that night and I did put on a little blush, some eye shadow and mascara. I wasn't able to drink as much water as I have been (only 64oz instead of the 100oz). And for dinner I ate the salad with no dressing (note: salad is not good without dressing), and I scraped off as much bread off the chicken as I could. As a result of all these little shenanigans, I gained .2 pounds. The next day, Sunday, I stuck with my diet (even with valentines candy every where I turned), drank 74oz of water, and didn't wear makeup to church. The next morning I lost .8 pounds. Now I'm back to the weight before the weekend started. Let's just hope I have another successful week...

Day 5... -1.2lb

Another 1.2 pounds bites the dust!

Today I feel drained. My body feels sluggish. I'm not tired, like I have to go to sleep, but depleted (obviously). The side affects I've been experiencing with this are - swimmers ear or the sensation you get when your ears need to be popped (which I usually get with extreme exercising or when I'm pregnant, and since the drops cause your body to think it's pregnant, I can believe it), tunnel vision when I stand up too fast, I can feel my heart beating when I lay down, and just walking up the stairs causes my heart to race, I'm irritable, oh, and weird dreams about food.

I'm a little concerned about playing my soccer game tonight. I should have enough players there so that I won't have to do much, but this will be a test to see what I can do. And don't worry, Mom, I won't push myself.

update: I realized I didn't eat enough calories yesterday, that could be why I'm so tired today.

Day 4... -1.2lbs

still working...today I lost 1.2 pounds.

My kids/husband give me their pitiful looks every time I sit down with my measly meal.
This is a typical meal for lunch.

3oz. grilled chicken, 1 cucumber, 16 oz. water.



And my dinner.

3oz. sirloin steak, 6 cherry tomatoes, 16+ oz. water.


Then, It's usually an orange for breakfast, and an apple right before bed (I can't sleep when I'm hungry).