That's a scary word.
And its become all too familiar a topic of conversation in our house here in recent times.
In the last four years, four of my family members have had aneurysms. Three of which were cerebral, one aortic. All from my mom's side of the family.
The first one was a shock. My uncle, 4 years ago.
The second seemed all too familiar. My aunt, 2 years ago.
The third happened right after the second. My other uncle, 2 years ago.
And the fourth was perhaps the most concerning. My 22 year old cousin, this year.
So, when I saw my doctor for my annual physical last week, we discussed my concerns about this family history I now have. And she told me she would like to have a look at my own brain and aorta.
Let me tell you this is not good for my hypochondria.
My dad died of AML at age 57. And you should know that because of that, every time I get a bruise of any sort, I watch it like a hawk to make sure it disappears.
Kind of morbid, I realize.
So I am looking forward to getting some peace of mind in regards to this aneurysm threat. In 2 weeks, I am scheduled for a CT scan of my brain and an abdominal ultrasound to check my aorta.
My mom has been tested, and everything checked out okay. What a huge relief.
I'll be okay too.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Prepared for a Throw Down
Campbell has been doing great with her eating!
I am so proud of her :)
We've been having ice cream at least 3 times a day.
Even so, I've been dreading her gastroenterologist appointment.
This would be the first time we would see him since the surgical consult, when the other doc vetoed his decision that Cam needs a g tube.
He wouldn't be happy about this.
And honestly, I'm a huge chicken. I made sure Eric could meet me so I didn't have to face him alone.
We went in prepared. Prepared to be told off. Prepared to tell him off. Prepared to walk out of his office, never to return.
As we waited in the exam room, I had some weird thoughts.
Do we still stop at the desk on our way out after we have our big throw down?
Will the other patients hear us screaming at each other through the walls?
Is Eric going to physically assault this doctor?
Do we need a lawyer?
Just then, there was a familiar knock at the door. Eric and I looked at each other and put our game faces on. Expecting the worst.
And we could not have been more wrong.
He came in, Campbell's chart in hand, smiling from ear to ear.
Well, I don't know what you are doing, but you are doing something right!
I stared at him, dumbfounded.
I also heard, I am so proud of her!
And pinching her arms, Look at this fat!
Not a word was mentioned about the surgeon. Not a word about the g tube. Not a word!
He shook our hands like five times I swear.
He said to keep up the good work, and come back and see him in six weeks.
Eric and I walked out of his office smiling and laughing.
Pretty much the opposite of what I had pictured in my head :)
I am so proud of her :)
We've been having ice cream at least 3 times a day.
Even so, I've been dreading her gastroenterologist appointment.
This would be the first time we would see him since the surgical consult, when the other doc vetoed his decision that Cam needs a g tube.
He wouldn't be happy about this.
And honestly, I'm a huge chicken. I made sure Eric could meet me so I didn't have to face him alone.
We went in prepared. Prepared to be told off. Prepared to tell him off. Prepared to walk out of his office, never to return.
As we waited in the exam room, I had some weird thoughts.
Do we still stop at the desk on our way out after we have our big throw down?
Will the other patients hear us screaming at each other through the walls?
Is Eric going to physically assault this doctor?
Do we need a lawyer?
Just then, there was a familiar knock at the door. Eric and I looked at each other and put our game faces on. Expecting the worst.
And we could not have been more wrong.
He came in, Campbell's chart in hand, smiling from ear to ear.
Well, I don't know what you are doing, but you are doing something right!
I stared at him, dumbfounded.
I also heard, I am so proud of her!
And pinching her arms, Look at this fat!
Not a word was mentioned about the surgeon. Not a word about the g tube. Not a word!
He shook our hands like five times I swear.
He said to keep up the good work, and come back and see him in six weeks.
Eric and I walked out of his office smiling and laughing.
Pretty much the opposite of what I had pictured in my head :)
Monday, July 4, 2011
Sweet Relief
We went to the surgeon's office first thing Thursday morning.
Campbell was weighed.
I held my breath. As I do everytime I set her on a scale.
The digital scale was flashing as it calibrated her weight.
Blink.
Blink.
18 lbs 12 oz.
Two weeks before, she weighed 17 lbs 11 oz.
I let out the breath as my slow brain was registering the math and the shock.
That is over a pound in just 2 weeks!
That is huge!
Amazing.
God is so good.
I breathed a little deeper as we walked to the exam room to wait for the doctor.
Eric and I were armed with 3 things.
Campbell's growth chart, courtesy of our pediatrician.
Her speech evaluation, which Campbell scored very high on for her actual age, not adjusted. (This is a big deal for a preemie. Preemies are measured by their adjusted or corrected age until they turn two. So the fact that she is doing so well for her actual age is very exciting for us.) This would help to prove she has good cognitive function.
Her developmental evaluation. While she does have a couple delays, she has improved greatly since her last eval a year ago. Last summer, her adaptive care domain was at 100% delay. Now, it is only at a 35%. And in order to even qualify for Early Intervention services, kids must present with at least a 30% delay. Therefore, 35% is very low on the spectrum. This eval would show that she is really coming along with her milestones and catching up.
(I do want to point out that it really was God's perfect timing in all this. We had these evaluations scheduled months in advance because Campbell's annual IFSP meeting is coming up in July. It just so happened that her PT, DT, and speech evals fell right in between the gastro appt and subsequent surgical consult?? Evals that would provide crucial and imperative information regarding her development?? Looking back on all this now, I am just completely amazed by how He worked all that out for us.)
The surgeon came in. He remembered Eric right away from when he operated on Lenay almost 2 years ago. He repaired her inguinal hernia when she was still in the NICU. I found it absolutely amazing that he remembered him since he has literally operated on over 15,000 kids.
He studied Campbell. He studied the paperwork we presented him. He looked at her growth chart for a long time.
Well, she's not excelling in her growth now is she?
Definitely not, I said.
I explained that she had been sick before her last gastro appointment. And we pointed out her whole pound gain in 2 weeks.
He asked about her milestones, and we pointed to the evals, showing that she is making strides and catching up.
He looked down at the chart again. Then took a long look at Campbell, who was chomping on a Ritz.
Well, I think she's bought herself a pass.
I felt myself sit up a little straighter as the weight lifted up off my chest.
I wanted to kiss this man.
Now, she has no margin for error. She needs to continue to gain weight at a steady rate in order to keep me away.
Got it. No offense, but we hope we never have to see you again.
None taken. I get that a lot.
He thanked us for bringing in the paperwork. He had referred to it throughout our visit as being very helpful information.
We walked out of his office in complete and utter relief.
No g tube for this girl.
And so we headed down to the Spotted Cow to buy her a big cream cheese cinnamon roll.
Campbell was weighed.
I held my breath. As I do everytime I set her on a scale.
The digital scale was flashing as it calibrated her weight.
Blink.
Blink.
18 lbs 12 oz.
Two weeks before, she weighed 17 lbs 11 oz.
I let out the breath as my slow brain was registering the math and the shock.
That is over a pound in just 2 weeks!
That is huge!
Amazing.
God is so good.
I breathed a little deeper as we walked to the exam room to wait for the doctor.
Eric and I were armed with 3 things.
Campbell's growth chart, courtesy of our pediatrician.
Her speech evaluation, which Campbell scored very high on for her actual age, not adjusted. (This is a big deal for a preemie. Preemies are measured by their adjusted or corrected age until they turn two. So the fact that she is doing so well for her actual age is very exciting for us.) This would help to prove she has good cognitive function.
Her developmental evaluation. While she does have a couple delays, she has improved greatly since her last eval a year ago. Last summer, her adaptive care domain was at 100% delay. Now, it is only at a 35%. And in order to even qualify for Early Intervention services, kids must present with at least a 30% delay. Therefore, 35% is very low on the spectrum. This eval would show that she is really coming along with her milestones and catching up.
(I do want to point out that it really was God's perfect timing in all this. We had these evaluations scheduled months in advance because Campbell's annual IFSP meeting is coming up in July. It just so happened that her PT, DT, and speech evals fell right in between the gastro appt and subsequent surgical consult?? Evals that would provide crucial and imperative information regarding her development?? Looking back on all this now, I am just completely amazed by how He worked all that out for us.)
The surgeon came in. He remembered Eric right away from when he operated on Lenay almost 2 years ago. He repaired her inguinal hernia when she was still in the NICU. I found it absolutely amazing that he remembered him since he has literally operated on over 15,000 kids.
He studied Campbell. He studied the paperwork we presented him. He looked at her growth chart for a long time.
Well, she's not excelling in her growth now is she?
Definitely not, I said.
I explained that she had been sick before her last gastro appointment. And we pointed out her whole pound gain in 2 weeks.
He asked about her milestones, and we pointed to the evals, showing that she is making strides and catching up.
He looked down at the chart again. Then took a long look at Campbell, who was chomping on a Ritz.
Well, I think she's bought herself a pass.
I felt myself sit up a little straighter as the weight lifted up off my chest.
I wanted to kiss this man.
Now, she has no margin for error. She needs to continue to gain weight at a steady rate in order to keep me away.
Got it. No offense, but we hope we never have to see you again.
None taken. I get that a lot.
He thanked us for bringing in the paperwork. He had referred to it throughout our visit as being very helpful information.
We walked out of his office in complete and utter relief.
No g tube for this girl.
And so we headed down to the Spotted Cow to buy her a big cream cheese cinnamon roll.
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