Medical Update - 3/11/09

So here is how these decisions are made in marriages (or at least in our marriage):

1) Annabelle needed to be scheduled for a CT Scan which involves general anesthesia. It's not surgery but it's not an "open and say 'ahhh'" appointment either. We really both wanted to be there.

2) Holly's job is sending her to New York for 4 days at the end of the month which will require me to take one day off for child care and I don't feel like I can take another day off for a CT Scan

3) The wife would rather take Annie to the CT Scan solo herself than have me go solo on the day I am taking off when she is in NYC.

So it is settled . . . the wife will take the wee one to the CT Scan solo . . . only, I really want to be there still . . . .

So yesterday I went in to the office and told the wife to call me when she arrived at the hospital. I would leave the office at the last possible minute and return as soon as the major hurdles were crossed.

I parked in the usual structure and headed to the location of the first appointment - Radiology for Shunt-series Xrays. Just as I was approaching the radiology dept. my cell phone rang. It was the wife - they had already left radiology and were now at surgical admitting (because of the anesthesia, CT Scans are considered surgery). As I was finishing up my call with her and pointing my toes in the proper direction, a hospital worker started to wave me down, "Excuse me, sir . . . excuse me . . . ."

"Oh brother", I thought. "I probably shouldn't be on a cell phone in this part of the hospital or something . . . "

"Excuse me sir, are you Annabelle's dad?"

"I am", I said - fairly surprised.

"I just took your wife and daughter to surgical admin. If you want to follow me I will show you the way . . . "

I am telling you - these people at Children's hospital are gooooood at what they do.

I found the wife juggling a clipboard of forms in one hand and the child in the other - she was relieved to see me.

We got all checked in but this time they didn't offer us a free toy with purchase.

They also didn't charge us a $250 co-pay so I figure we just about came out ahead on that one . . .

They placed us in a waiting room - it was 11am. Our CT Scan was scheduled for 1pm. Annie-Lu had not had anything to eat or drink since 7am and was not allowed to until after the procedure was over - the wife and I braced ourselves for 2 hours of fussing . . .

Of course, as Annabelle has so many times before, the little champ rallied. Other than a few minutes of fussing she either just sat quietly watching the other patients or dozed off and on. Just amazing.

After checking blood pressure and temp etc, the nurse called us in to sign a couple more forms and explain how the whole thing would work. She told us that the anesthesia would be administered as gas through a small face mask. She offered to swab the inside of the mask with lip gloss - either bubble gum or strawberry so that the mask would smell nice when they put it on her . . . and so in one of those countless absurd moments of life, the wife and I sat there in the hospital trying to decide between different flavors of children's lip gloss . . . we went with strawberry.

Then it was back to the waiting room.

When they finally came to get us (at 1pm - right on schedule), they led us through the hospital corridors to the CT Scan room.

"That's a pretty relaxed baby you have there . . ." the tech commented. "Yeah, she is usually pretty easy going", I replied.

"I think we will try it without anesthesia. If she will hold still enough we wont even need it." The wife and I looked at each other with hopeful joy.

I was expecting a coffin-like chamber similar to the one the wife was placed in when she had her CT Scan during the pregnancy. It actually looked more like this:

That is the photo from last January's "low grade" CT scan that they did.

The tech said one of us could stay at Annie's side and the other had to go in the next room and watch through the glass. I stayed - the wife stood in the other room.

They placed Annie's head in the noggin-vice and strapped her arms to her side with blankets and velcro. She didn't make a peep.

They gave me a lead apron to wear (sorry - no princess ones this time) and handed me one of those light-up whirly-gigs that you can buy at amusement parks. You know, the ones about the size of a flashlight that light up a bunch of colored l.e.d's and spins around when you push the button?

"Here dad, keep her eyes focused on this so she doesn't move her head."

The machine whirred to life and spun and flexed and tilted and whirred some more. 3 minutes later we were done - and drug-free!

We headed to the cafeteria where the wife rewarded Annie with some much anticipated lunch. 7 waking hours without food and hardly a complaint. Sitting still for a CT scan at the tail end of it all. She's a wonder.

So that is the news. I expect we will get a 10-second "everything looks good" voice mail from the neurosurgeon's office in about a week which will prompt a return call from me filled with a handful of , "Yeah but what-about's" (especially if there is any news on the 3v procedure).

Here is what the ol' medical calendar looks like for the near future:

- Physical Therapy once a week

- Infant Therapy once every two weeks

- March 14th - SD Spina Bifida Association Meeting

- April 2nd - Vision Screening

- April 7th - Club Foot Clinic

- April 14th - Double Foot Surgery (Go Annabelle Day!)

11 appointments in 5 weeks.

Your continued prayers and support are appreciated more than you know.