3 Peanuts: Harry

My sweet Harry has had such a rough school year. He has missed so much school due to migraines that his teachers will have to meet to make sure he can move up to 7th grade (per district requirements). I am sure he will be able to as he has miraculously maintained his grades. But still. It is hard. I am so grateful for all the suggestions people leave in comments and e-mails to me. We are open to trying all sorts of things. I never would have imagined that migraines would cause such an impact on one's life and on our family. But he misses out on so much both with school and socially. And we are always at a doctor appointment it seems.

The bright spot for him this year has been lacrosse. He became interested in it last year and we bought him some beginner equipment but lacrosse has not been as popular down here in Texas as it is on the East coast. Harry and his buddies had never played before this year. A dad volunteers as their coach and one of Dave's friends from high school (an East coast school) helps out when he can. They are a young and scrappy team but they are really doing well. They started the season with some tough losses but they have turned it around and have been winning and giving some seasoned teams a run for their money.

I love watching Harry's games but I don't often bring my camera. I did last week and got a few photos. none of them are actions shots though. It is hard to catch the action in lax as it moves so fast and I do not have a good telephoto lens.

Harry is #23

I think he is growling at me for the photo;)

Miss Kate relaxes at the games and she has taken quite a liking to this ENORMOUS dog...

He is a great dane named "Chops" and he is bigger than Kate:)

And one more sweet thing I don't want to ever forget. Last week Dave and Kate were talking about the show "Freaky Friday" where people switch bodies. Dave asked Kate who would she want to switch bodies with in a situation like that and she said, "Harry." When Dave asked why Harry, she said so she could give him a vacation from his migraines. Dave explained that then she would have the migraines and she said, "that's okay as long as he got a break from them." Is that not the sweetest, most selfless thing a 6 year old girl could say? I am so proud of her sweet, sweet heart. She loves her brother fiercely.

19 comments:

SharynApril 10, 2013 at 1:46 PM
I have read your wonderful blog for over a year now, but have never commented until now. Kate's selfless words filled my heart with joy. So, so sweet...
MCWApril 10, 2013 at 1:56 PM
Love Harry in his lacrosse gear! So glad he is enjoying the sport.
craftmomApril 10, 2013 at 2:06 PM
My husband and I both get migraines. We used to get them much more than we do now. One thing that we have learned is to stay with MSG, and this includes anything that says autolyzed yeast extract, hydrolyzed soy protein, and yeast extract. The epidemiologist that I know said this is how manufacturers get around saying their product doesn't have MSG. Also, the eye doctor told my husband as soon as he feels one coming on to take migraine medicine with as much caffeine as possible. I have really tried this and it works. I take my migraine medicine with a coffee from Starbucks with a single or double shot espresso. Since Harry is younger maybe a high caffeine pop?
JudyApril 10, 2013 at 2:29 PM
what a sweet, self-less thing kate is willing to do for her brother...shows she's a precious little girl with a big heart!
Mandy RoseApril 10, 2013 at 3:48 PM
I began suffering migraines when I was in my early 20s. I can't imagine having them at such a young age as Harry is!

A couple of things that have worked for others (didn't work too well for me) are Ganoderma extract or the esseential oil blend M-Grain from Young Living (Basil, marjoram, lavender, peppermint, Roman chamomile, and helichrysum).

I'm still trying to find my silver bullet, as the only thing that has worked so far for me is pregnancy and nursing, but I'm not ready for another baby just yet :-)

I hope Harry finds his remedy soon! I firmly believe that God has provided everything we need to care for our ailments somewhere in nature (or sythesized from nature).

Green GirlApril 10, 2013 at 4:42 PM
OMG Kim...What a sweet empathetic and compassionate little girl. Sweet Sweet Kate. God bless her heart. What an absolutely incredible job as parents you and Dave are doing.
likeschocolateApril 10, 2013 at 7:01 PM
I love Kate's comment about the migranes. So so sweet! So sorry Harry suffers so much.
SheriApril 10, 2013 at 7:10 PM
Hi Sweet Friend - I am so sorry he is still suffering! Sav went a month without one and has a bad one tonight! UGH. I love the pics of Harry! Lax is big down here in FL. Love the statement from Kate! Priceless. Blessing to you!
MegApril 10, 2013 at 8:27 PM
That is _so_ sweet of Kate - to think of that. Very special.
The 5 BickiesApril 10, 2013 at 8:40 PM
I love this ...
totally unabashedly and completely selfless.
Beautiful!
VickieApril 10, 2013 at 10:33 PM
My daughter suffered from migraines really bad for a while and her physician recommended acupuncture and it worked like a miracle. At the time she couldn't take medication due to pregnancy. I was amazed at her description of the relief. I sure hope that he finds some relief soon.

Kate sounds like such a nice little girl. She sure is a cutie.

SpearsApril 11, 2013 at 6:26 AM
That is so precious! Such a testament to what a close and loving family yours is. Praying for your son
snekcipApril 11, 2013 at 9:00 AM
What a HEART OF GOLD Kate has!! Too PRECIOUS!! Praying for relief for Harry.
WendyApril 11, 2013 at 11:24 AM
I second the acupuncture suggestion. My neurologist, who practices at a big, mainstream Boston teaching hospital, has gotten licensed in acupuncture because many of her patients are either not helped by or cannot tolerate the medicine commonly prescribed for migraines.
JulieApril 11, 2013 at 11:40 PM
UGH!! Typed a long response and it disappeared.

Shorter response: My 16 year old has had migraines since he was 5. They started as seizures right after his varicella vaccination. Propanolol as a preventative was a huge blessing. He still has to be cautious with fluorescent lighting and movies in a theater.
Kerin M.July 10, 2014 at 2:39 PM
Hi Kim! So I am loving going through your blog, you guys are great! I just had to comment about Harry's migraines even though this post is a little old. I'm 24 but have had migraines my WHOLE life and have only recently got them under control. I found that I really have to be careful about my diet. I've eliminated gluten, caffeine, and chocolate - which is so not fun but really effective. Monitoring time in the sun, sugar intake, and alcohol (obviously not something he is worrying about!) also helps.

I also recently bought a baltic amber necklace/bracelet that is supposed to help and I actually think it does. The company is called Hazelaid and you can get them from Amazon. Read about them on their website, it's a really interesting concept. In addition I take a magnesium supplement because research shows that people who get migraines are deficient in magnesium.

I tried preventative RXs for years but I'm not sure if they helped or just caused more side annoying effects. The one medication that is my God-send is Relpax. One little pill and no more migraine but you really have to push your doctor because they are expensive for insurance companies to pay for. Zofran really helps too if he gets nauseous with his migraines.

I hope his migraines are a little more under control, I understand how debilitating they can be! Please let me know if you have any questions! kerin.riley@gmail.com

Kerin