God doesn't give children with special needs to strong people; He gives children with special needs to ordinary, weak people and then gives them strength. Raising a child with special needs doesn't take a special family, it makes a special family.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Praise the Lord for good news!! There are a few appointments that make me nervous for several days leading up to it, and this past Thursday was one of those appointments. Brenden had his 6 month check up with Urology at UVA. In kids with Spina Bifida, kidney and bladder function are two things that can change in the blink of an eye, with no warning. The Nephrologist that has been seeing Brenden since he was born of course remembered him and his charming personality, so he was able to keep Brenden engaged during the ultrasound to check his kidneys and bladder. I've come to a point that I know what to look for on the screen, so it appeared that there was no kidney reflux and his bladder looked great, and the doctor confirmed just that!!! The nurses at clinic love Brenden, so they all stopped in to see how big he has gotten and were so proud of him to hear that he is starting to use his walker. He even scored some cookies and stickers!
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Then we were off to see the ENT about Brenden's tonsils and adenoids. Several months ago I read an article in Parents magazine regarding kids with enlarged tonsils and adenoids. The three things to look for are snoring, breathing thru the mouth, and sounding congested all the time. Well Brenden fit the bill for all of these, so I had Jonathan talk to the pediatrician at his 2 yr checkup. Jonathan thought I was just being a neurotic mom again....he laughs at me for reading too much. I am nowhere near to being an expert, but I could look in Brenden's mouth and see that his tonsils are HUGE, so I really was convinced this was an issue. After x-rays, the pediatrician said no, they were fine. So I let it rest....for a while. When he was in the hospital after surgery, he had trouble with his breathing at night. After a consult with a Pulmonologist, who stated, "Holy cow those things are huge," we finally got a referral to an ENT. I LOVED this doctor....he had a lot of answers about a few things which lead back to Brenden having Chiari Malformation. Dr. Early thought it was beyond hysterical that we have to wear ear plugs if for some reason Brenden sleeps in the same room as us (which is only if we are away from home in a hotel!). So August 6th Brenden will have his tonsils and adenoids removed, which should stop his snoring, allow him to breathe through his nose, and help with some of the issues we are having with his speech and annunciation! It is usually done outpatient, but due to some breathing issues that can arise from being on narcotics, it will require one night in PICU and then maybe one more night on the peds floor.
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We find out in a few weeks when Jonathan will have his surgery, but most likely it will be sometime in September...please pray for my sanity amidst all this!!
And as far as Miss Madelynn is concerned....look out!! She is crawling and is getting in to EVERYTHING!!!
Pictures will come when I get batteries for the camera........

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