Riley Trip ~ GI Scopes

On Monday, we were up at 1:00am to get on the road.  None of us slept well because Gavin had to go to the bathroom several times.  The drive there wasn’t too bad.  Grandma and Aunt Annie met us there.  We got a wagon and checked in.  In this area of the hospital, they have someone whose job is Child Life.  They bring toys, help decorate a mask, and make the separation from the parents easier.  Gavin does fine with all of that, but he enjoyed the extra perks.  He even got to play a game on the ipad as he walked back. The single best part was that Froggy got his own gown, mask, and blood pressure cuff to bring home!  After three procedures, it was about time!

Something different about this area was, once they took Gavin back, we stayed in the room the entire time.  Everyone else took turns going to eat, but I was too nervous to eat anything.  They did an upper and lower GI scope.  It took about an hour and a half.  Gavin did great and was a wonderful patient as always.  He got bubbles, Froggy’s goodies, Car puzzles he could color, and stickers to take home.  He woke up fine, but was hungry and tired.  He ate a popsicle and it wasn’t long before we were able to be on our way.

As far as the actual scope, most of it checked out fine, but they did find a vascular lesion right inside his rectum.  I actually felt relieved because I thought we had the answer to the rectal bleeding.  Dr. Contreras said that she would consult several doctors and get back with us in a week or so regarding treatment.  She did give us several pictures to take to our afternoon appointment with the vascular lesion clinic.  At this point, I was starving, thankful we made it through another procedure, and wondering what would come next.

Gavin and daddy had matching bracelets and he thought that was super cool!

GI Prep

Last Sunday, Gavin had to prep all day for his scope the next day.  He drank Gatorade, apple juice, and water.  He ate popsicles, beef broth, and jello.  Tricky thing is, they couldn’t be red, blue, or purple in color.  I honestly don’t know of any other 4 year olds who would handle it that well!  He was a champ!  He didn’t complain once.  He even found it funny when he was peeing out of his butt.  Yes, only a boy would crack up about that! 

Aunt Alice stopped by for a visit and brought the kids some goodies.  She gave Gavin a few extras for his trip.  She was also kind enough to give us a gift card.  That was so sweet of her and we are very thankful for it.  In the afternoon, we took the girls to Aunt Allie’s house to spend the night.  After a long day and a sugared up boy, we headed to bed.  We had a LONG day ahead!

Life in a Special-Needs World

In the April issue of Parents magazine, there was a huge section about “Life in a Special-Needs World”.  It talked about the results of a survey that was done of parents who had children with special needs and who didn’t.  It talked about a variety of topics.  I could relate to a lot of it. 

There was a section titled, What moms of children with special needs wish other parents knew.  I agreed with what each quote said, but these two pretty much summed me up:

“I may look tough, but know that I’m as fragile as my child.  I just don’t have the option to show it.”

“Please don’t tell me to just relax.  There is always something to be done: doctor appointments, therapy appointments, insurance people to talk to, papers to be filled out, extra encouragement and praise and attention to be given.  It’s exhausting.”

Family Night

Tonight, we needed to get out of the house.  No one was throwing up or whining at the moment, so we decided to go out to dinner at Texas Roadhouse. We never got to a place like that just the 5 of us.  It was delicious, the kids were well behaved, and had fun saying “yeehaw” every time there was a birthday! 

After dinner, we went to Walmart to get everything Gavin needs for tomorrow.  He has to do the bowel prep and boy won’t that be fun!  We let him pick out stuff.  Basically, he will be allowed to drink kool aid, apple juice, Gatorade, and water.  He can eat jello, broth, and popsicles.  The kicker is…no red, purple, or blue dyes.  And don’t forget the miralax that will be mixed in.  He’s only 4!