My nightmare MONTH!!

Leah · Post by **Leah** » Thu Jul 19, 2012 12:13 am

Only you can decide about the open casket. All I know is when my Mom died when I was seven, I wasn't even allowed to go to the funeral. Looking back, I really believe it was a mistake. on my Dad's part. It's a good thing that your kids are there. As for an open casket.... I don't even do that myself. I'd rather remember my loved ones alive :)

I guess it is no surprise that your MC is acting up during these stressful times. Pickles and sauerkraut wouldn't work for me, but we are all different. I'd have to stick with protein and rice to feel my best.

Hang in there Zizzle. My thoughts are with you.

Leah

Sheila · Post by **Sheila** » Thu Jul 19, 2012 6:22 am

From personal experience, I wouldn't allow a young child to see a loved family member, or anyone else, dead in a coffin. Some cultures encourage this but it can be traumatic, scary and it is really unnecessary.

Sheila W

Post by **tex** » Thu Jul 19, 2012 8:56 am

Leah wrote:As for an open casket.... I don't even do that myself. I'd rather remember my loved ones alive

That is exactly the way I feel. I do it (since it seems to be traditional in this area), but frankly I don't believe that it has any merit. IMO, (I used to do my own taxidermy work), most undertakers would never be able to make a living as taxidermists. I would much rather that my final memories of someone be accurate. I don't recall ever viewing a body in a casket that came even close to reinforcing my memories of how that person actually appeared in life. Why take a chance on spoiling a lifetime of good memories with a last minute "image" that will make a lasting impression with a negative overtone. The image presented is of their death, and that's not what we want to remember - we want to remember their life.

Open casket viewing is promoted as a benefit to distant friends and relatives who hadn't seen the deceased in a long time. IMO, if they were actually so concerned about how she or he looked, they should have visited while she or he was alive, rather than waiting until after their death.

Sheila wrote:Some cultures encourage this but it can be traumatic, scary and it is really unnecessary.

That's just my opinion, FWIW.

Tex

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Thu Jul 19, 2012 9:28 am

Thanks for weighing in. I will try to keep the kids out of the viewing room, although my son is very curious now about "seeing a dead person." Sigh.

Post by **tex** » Thu Jul 19, 2012 9:43 am

Maybe he's up to it.

Everyone has their own opinions and philosophies on issues such as this.

Tex

Deb · Post by **Deb** » Thu Jul 19, 2012 4:50 pm

Tex, I really agree with you. I prefer to remember them as they were. No open caskets for me! Deb

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Thu Jul 19, 2012 5:49 pm

Well, the moment you walk into the funeral home, you see the body in the room on the right, so there was no avoiding it. I told the kids they didn't have to look, but they made their way over eventually. My 5 yr old daughter was unphased and touched her hair and skin, going up several times to look again. We all agreed it didn't look like great grandma, that her soul had left and she didn't need that old body anymore. After a while you become desensitized to the body. We're over it and ready to celebrate her life and spirit.

Well, sort of. My husband and daughter simultaneously developed fever and chills with mild throat pain, body aches, and heavy chests this afternoon!!! It's the EXACT SAME presentation as my son exactly 3 weeks ago today. Can it be?!?!?? 10 more days of hell?!??! Our 4 yr old nephew is on steroids for nephrotic syndrome. His mom will want to stay clear of us, and we have more family gatherings, mass and burial ahead of us!!

Why!?! Why now?? Does this point to mycoplasma or virus?

I can't deal...

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Thu Jul 19, 2012 6:07 pm

Omg, it is mycoplasma!! "The incubation period of mycoplasmal pneumonia tends to be smoldering and averages 3 weeks, in contrast to that of influenza and other viral pneumonias, which generally average a few days."

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1 ... overview#4

My son got sick exactly 3 weeks ago today!!!

Should we run out and get Zythromax or wait it out a bit?

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Thu Jul 19, 2012 10:01 pm

I'm in the ER now with my husband. Luckily the pediatrician back home called in a Zithromax rx for my daughter. Hubby just got a chest X-ray and he's on a nebulizer. He's wheezing. ER doc agreed with our assessment. He was going to give him Zithromax, but when he saw how bad the lungs were on X-ray, he decided he needed levaquin (bc hubby is allergic to penicillins, and ideally you want a penicillin like augmentin with the Zithromax). Now hubby will be sunsensitive and dairy free like me for a while! And maybe he'll eat fermented veggies with me (i need a few more c.diff horror stories). He ended up with a dose of zithromax AND a dose of levaquin before he left tge hospital I hope they work quickly! His temp was 103.7!!

Need to be at the funeral home at 8 am for procession, mass, then burial. Hubby can't be a pallbearer now, and I'll probably do his reading. Gram would be so worried for him...

I'm doing ok. Temp was 99.1 earlier and my lungs kind of burn and I'm a little hoarse. Feels like I've been dry coughing for days, but I haven't coughed at all! Doc said I should wait to develop real symptoms because my body may clear it on its own. On the other hand, the mycoplasm could infect some other part of my body too. Yikes. I think I'll see my PCP when i get home if i have any symptoms. Now let's hope this overactive immune system does me some good!! I'll load up on Vit D and C when I get home.

wonderwoman · Post by **wonderwoman** » Thu Jul 19, 2012 10:58 pm

I guess when it rains it pours at your house. But after the storm the sun always shines. You take care now. I would get some C & D right away rather than waiting until you get home.

JFR · Post by **JFR** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 5:22 am

Zizzle,

These sure are hard times you are going through. I hope your husband and daughter recover quickly and that you can keep from getting sick too. Do you know that sauerkraut is a great source of Vitamin C? It's what sailors used to bring on board ship to prevent scurvy since it didn't spoil over long voyages. Take care of yourself and your family.

Jean

Post by **tex** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 6:01 am

Hi Zizzle,

I agree with Charlotte and Jean -- I wouldn't wait until I got home to start boosting my immune system. I agree with Jean that the sauerkraut is a good source of vitamin C, but I would definitely be taking a therapeutic dose of vitamin D if I felt that I was having suspicious symptoms. Dr. Cannell's recommended dose at the first signs of bird flu or a similar serious respiratory infection is approximately 1,000 IU of vitamin D per pound of body weight, per day (actually, it's 2,000 IU per kg, but that figures out to be approximately 1,000 IU per pound). IOW, someone who weighs 130 pounds would need roughly 130,000 IU per day. This dose should be continued for 4 or 5 days, but it has to be started before the third day of symptoms. By the third day, it's probably too late for it to have much effect. Obviously, the sooner the better.

Take care of yourself,
Tex

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 6:45 am

I took 10,000 IU this morning with 500 mg of Ester-C. Will repeat this afternoon, perhaps with more if my tummy tolerates it. Thx.

Gloria · Post by **Gloria** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 6:39 pm

Zizzle,

Your family is very lucky to have you as their researcher. I would never have suspected that your daughter and your husband would have mycoplasma, too. What a rough time for your family. I hope the antibiotics work quickly.

Gloria

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Sat Jul 21, 2012 3:04 pm

Zizzle,

Yikes - can't believe how many issues you're having to deal with in such a short period of time!!! I'm very sorry to hear about you and your family's loss. As far as the children seeing your husband's grandmother in an open coffin, I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing, as it demystifies death a bit, perhaps making it less "scary". It sounds like you handled it all very well.

Sending lots of positive thoughts and prayers your way that everyone gets better soon, and all returns to normal.

Love,
Kari