Tuesday, July 7, 2009

CT Scan

Sorry for the late update. 

I took Joshua in this morning for his CT (CAT) Scan.  They told us just to walk in.  We went and waited for about 30 minutes.  During this time, we realized that I had forgotten his "poker".  I packed it, but forgot to slip it in my tote.  Thankfully, we weren't far from home and we were in a medical facitilty.  I did bring snacks so he was able to keep his blood sugars up.  We read aloud in a book (Hatchet - thanks Laura!) and played some games.

When it was time to go in and he saw the machine, I could see that he was visibly scared.  The technician that worked with us was wonderful!!!  She explained everything and answered his questions (he always has questions).  He happened to have on an outfit with no metal so that he didn't have to change into a gown.  This was probably the only pair of shorts that would have worked like this too!  She did a trial run of him laying on the bed, being lifted and then into the machine so he could see what it would be like.

The test itself went pretty quickly.  Then I chatted with Joshua while she checked to make sure they had all the images that were needed.  I had watched with her as the scan was going on and thought it was neat to see the images of his bones and thought Joshua would like that too.

I asked if she would mind him seeing that picture when it was completed.  She did so much more than just show him that one neat picture.  She scrolled through all the pictures and pointed out his organs, bones, spinal cord and more.  When she got to his stomach she said it looked like he had eaten cereal for breakfast - and he had!  She also showed him his muscles and his skin and commented that he had NO fat.  This is true.  :-)

As we were leaving, she told me that she would be sending the results to our ped office right away.  She also said that if we hadn't heard anything by this afternoon, we could call and ask.  Again, very nice!

We then went home.  I forgot to mention we had one sick today - Daniel.  Sick again in the middle of the night.  Thankfully everyone else is feeling better.  I sure hope it ends soon!

Our ped called this afternoon to share the results.  His kidneys looked good - no obstructions or other problems.  She did say that his left kidney is "puffy" in the collection area and is something that she will want to keep an eye on.  She doesn't know what caused it, but it doesn't seem to be due to any problems in his body right now.  His other organs looked good too!  Also, one of the cultures came back - negative for E. coli.  Thank you!  She is still waiting on some other cultures.  I told her that I knew it wasn't salmonella - that one was very wicked and much, much worse than this has been.  It was horrible!

She mentioned that this might be rotavirus.  She asked if I'd extended nursed my children and I said yes.  She thought this probably protected them while they were young.  Eliana had the shot for this and that may be why she hasn't gotten sick.  We won't know for sure though as this one wasn't cultured - just the "big boys" as she said.  I think it must be something we picked up from the hospital.  Who knows.  It doesn't really matter.  I just hope it is done!

Joshua's numbers are doing good again today.  No lows!  The new med seems to be working well in helping to keep him balanced.  I'm thankful for that.  I also talked with his endo dr who called to check on him.  Isn't that wonderful to have doctors that care so much to keep such close tabs on their patient?!  I'm very thankful for these great doctors and their willingness to go above and beyond when it really is important.

I'm hoping that by tomorrow, I can post some pictures, maybe share some other things that have been going on.  I"m hoping that we are at the end of the sickness path and then can just walk the new path of dealing with diabetes.  I'm thankful for many things and appreciate your prayers.

Love
Leslie

7 comments:

  1. Sounds like a great day overall for what you were going through!

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  2. Praising God for a good CT result!!!

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  3. Hey Leslie, We have been out of town (in Blowing Rock) but I got to catch up on my emails today. I am so sorry for what you all have been going through but I will continue to pray for wellness for your family and that Joshua will adjust to his medicine and that you will be able to keep his numbers in the right place. I am also praying for Him to give you strength and am thankful that you are well prepared for this journey. God bless you all! love, bonnie

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  4. So glad the CT scan went well. I am so glad you all are being so well cared for. We had a foster placement that came to us with rotovirus. It did seem to go on forever. Hopefully that is it and it will be over soon.

    Blessings,

    Dawn

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  5. Hi, Leslie.


    You don't know me, but we have a mutual friend in Stephanie Nance. (What a dear!)


    She shared your blog with me because last October our daughter Anna was also diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, and it's been a rough ride. Girls at this age (now 13) have a rough time of it because of the hormonal issues they face, but we're making good progress.


    Reading about your first few days brought back so many memories--trying to make sure you take all the necessary equipment and food every time you leave the house, dealing with additional illness on top of the diabetes, etc, etc, etc--SOOOOOO overwhelming at first!


    But you have done well, my new friend in Jesus! And you're so right about His strength getting us through it all.


    I want to encourage you; it does get easier. I didn't notice a post about how old Joshua is, but truly, it will become second nature to him to test, figure his carbs, dose correctly, etc.


    We just took a trip to Virginia, and Anna's numbers were pretty high most of the time. We still don't know if it was just because she was so excited, if it was hormonal, or if it was because her insulin got too hot somewhere along the line. But we're home again, so it will start to make sense while we get back in our routine.


    We're SOOOOO thankful this is something that can be treated. And there's been a ton of progress in treatment of this disease.


    Anna's a bit afraid of the pump after watching her friend Taylor insert it, but she's met several people with a pump who have ALL raved about it, so I think that will be in our near future. If insurance will pay, that is.


    She was in the hospital four times while we tried to get things figured out. No fun. DKA is NOT a place we want to revisit. Most of her trouble was from trying to count calories instead of carbs, as our first doctor wanted her to do. The carbs are working MUCH better for her.


    She's gained a lot of her weight back now and feels almost normal most days. :)


    I love your attitude. And I'll be praying for your precious Joshua and the whole family. There are days when he'll probably wish he could have a break from diabetes even for a few hours. That's probably the hardest thing for Anna (and I'm assuming most of these kids)--there's just no break from it and never will be unless there's a miracle. (We still believe in those!) But we persevere. And trouble does build character, even in our kiddos. :)


    Please feel free to call or email or vent or praise or whatever you might need.


    And meanwhile, know that you are blessing many around you as you share the journey. God is faithful.


    Blessings!


    Becky Spencer

    Buhler, KS

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  6. healthyhomeschoolJuly 8, 2009 at 9:34 AM

    Dear Leslie,


    I just saw this today -- I've been running around, cleaning, errands! Ack. And you would know better than anyone right now that our homes and errands don't disappear just because of illness, etc. Always so much to do! ~:-D


    It sounds like you got bits of good news all the way around yesterday. I am so glad that you were treated nicely and that Joshua's scan looked good. You do have really good doctors. That's a real blessing.


    Just wanted to say hello and we're still praying for all of you.


    Love,

    Lynn

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  7. Thank you friends for your prayers and hugs and words of encouragement. Joshua is definitely doing better and had no visits to the doctor today! ļ


    Becky ¡V Thank you for writing. Stephanie had told me of you and it is good to hear from you. I¡¦m sorry you understand, but am also thankful for those that have walked ahead of me as it helps to learn from others!


    Thank you for the encouragement that it does get easier. I agree with you on wanting a break. I think sometimes the fact that it is never-ending can be bit hard, kwim? There is never going to be a day ¡V or even more than a couple of hours ¡V when you get a break. I can only imagine how that must feel and yes, we too are praying for a cure!


    I would love to get your email. Mine is on my sidebar if you want to click on email me.

    Thank you for your positive words. Those help so much!


    Love you all friends and thank God for each of you!

    Leslie

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