On Friday, we took Jack to Children's Hospital for a scheduled MRI appointment. This scan and accompanying blood work should help our insurance company accept and cover his growth hormone treatments. So, the alarm went off at 4:45am, and we packed a busy bag to entertain Jack because, let's face it...we knew we were going to be there for at least three hours. At least. The MRI went off without a hitch. It was a little disconcerting to see Jack's tiny limp feet hanging out of the MRI scanner, but I focused on an ancient issue of People Magazine and got through it without panicking.
In recovery, we waited for Jack to rouse...and waited and waited. While Jack slept, the doctor came in and told us that there were some concerns about his blood work - his red blood cell count was 7.1, with normal levels being around 11 for someone his age and size. So, they were going to run more tests. I immediately hopped online and read things like "anemia," "mineral deficiency"..."cancer". Okay, okay...let's not get all freaked out by playing Internet doctor now. Two hours later, Jack woke up unhappily, and the doctor returned to tell us that his white blood cell and platelet counts were also below normal. They wanted to run more tests, so, they were admitting us to the ER. At this point, we were already in the hospital for five hours.
The ER doc visited shortly after we got a room downstairs and point blank told us that at this point, they had no idea what was going on, but they were looking for signs of cancer, mainly leukemia. WHAT?!? So, we watched as he checked Jack's body for lymph nodes and waited another three hours for a chest x-ray and a hematologist to review his blood slides, not knowing what to think - trying not to think.
Well...nine hours, three blood tests, one MRI and two x-rays later, the doctor informed us that his blood slides looked great, and the hematologist saw nothing emerging or anything currently of concern. Phew! But really? Did we need to go through all of that? What would it be like to go to the hospital for a scheduled appointment and leave within a reasonable time without a scare, I wonder?
We got home and ordered some food, and that evening, my face started dripping. The stress and lack of sleep opened me up to a fantastic head cold that immediately traveled to my chest. Two ear infections and bronchitis for me, my men are now sick, and I've completed one round of antibiotics and still feel like crap. I'm so behind on my work. Ugh.
Our knight in shining armor! With his protection and love, we'll persevere!
On a positive note, we've administered the growth hormone for over two weeks now. We've noticed some improvements in eye contact and play. He's pulling more toys of the shelves and exploring more intently and consistently. He also seems to weigh 20 pounds more than before, but I think I'm just weak from illness. ;) School has had an amazing impact on him, and we're set to start wraparound services with a TSS in our home Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 until after noon. Intense? Yes, especially when combined with school and outpatient therapies, but it's much-needed help. I hope we gel with the TSS. That's my next worry. ;) I'll always worry.
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