Amazing. Just amazing.
Easton spent 4 days in the hospital (2 more than he was supposed to thanks to a nicked colon), and moaned and whined whenever it was time to get another pain medication. He was in such pain that he just laid in bed all day and barely moved.
Then we brought him home, set him down, and off he went, crawling and climbing over everything like he never had surgery. That's the power of home. A home filled with love brings peace to the heart and healing to the soul. It gives hope. It's a familiar reassurance that loved ones are near and all will be well.
Indeed, as the hymn says, "All the world is filled with love, when there's love at home."
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Wow! You're kidneys are beautiful!
Said no one. And yet, we just paid for a cosmetic surgery to fix how Easton's Kidney looks. Crazy? Probably. But then again, we're parents. We're supposed to be a little crazy.
In truth, however, the surgery was less for how the kidney looks, and more about how it is shaped, and thus functions. He's just now waking from a 4 hour surgery to remove the blockage in his ureter that's stopping the kidney from draining properly. Because of the stoppage, the kidney ballooned out and was deformed, needing some reshaping.
During the process they accidentally nicked the colon, but fixed that and hopefully avoided any infection.Don't worry, It just required a stitch or two. He's not a semi-colon now or anything :) unfortunately since they nicked the colon we need to wait till he has a bowell movement or passes gas before he can eat. We're told that could take anywhere between a few hours to a week. I guess whenever your intestines are even touched, they go into sleep mode and take a while to wake up. It is helpful to get up and move around, but he'll be somewhat limited in what he can do as he heals.
They also were able to find the hiding, right teste and, wonder of wonders, it was still alive and they were able to pull it into place.
Overall, things seem to be going well. So grateful.
In truth, however, the surgery was less for how the kidney looks, and more about how it is shaped, and thus functions. He's just now waking from a 4 hour surgery to remove the blockage in his ureter that's stopping the kidney from draining properly. Because of the stoppage, the kidney ballooned out and was deformed, needing some reshaping.
During the process they accidentally nicked the colon, but fixed that and hopefully avoided any infection.Don't worry, It just required a stitch or two. He's not a semi-colon now or anything :) unfortunately since they nicked the colon we need to wait till he has a bowell movement or passes gas before he can eat. We're told that could take anywhere between a few hours to a week. I guess whenever your intestines are even touched, they go into sleep mode and take a while to wake up. It is helpful to get up and move around, but he'll be somewhat limited in what he can do as he heals.
They also were able to find the hiding, right teste and, wonder of wonders, it was still alive and they were able to pull it into place.
Overall, things seem to be going well. So grateful.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Bundle of hyper joy
We're a little late in posting this, but wanted to share it anyway. Last month we took the family to spend a week camping on the beach. Every time Easton saw the waves he would reach out as far as he could, then flap his arms up and down excitedly and clap as loud as he can. What a joy it was to see such excitement and joy in such a little package! I loved taking him down to see the waves, something about it just invigorated him, and seeing his reaction lifted our hearts as well.
What a blessing children are to us old geezers. :)
What a blessing children are to us old geezers. :)
Finally crawling & getting surgery too
Easton started crawling this week. Yay! He's still a little behind in his development, but he is catching up! His crawling is a little disjointed, probably because of his hip dysplasia, but having him wear his hip brace at night is working wonders.
On the flip side, he had a kidney scan this week. His left kidney is doing great, and they both are functioning well, but his right kidney is draining less than it used to (which wasn't very much to begin with). The Dr. wants to do surgery to remove a section of his ureter tube (which may have a blockage) & reshape his kidney. He should be in the hospital for about 2 days. The Dr. said Easton would have a tube coming out of his kidney which would drain into his diaper for 10-12 days until his body heals from the surgery. We wonder how that will affect his crawling. Who knows. An interesting side note - we realized all his issues seem to be affecting mostly his right side - right kidney, right teste, & right hip. We don't if that means anything. He likes to "Choose the Right" that's for sure.
Thanks again for all your thoughts & prayers!
On the flip side, he had a kidney scan this week. His left kidney is doing great, and they both are functioning well, but his right kidney is draining less than it used to (which wasn't very much to begin with). The Dr. wants to do surgery to remove a section of his ureter tube (which may have a blockage) & reshape his kidney. He should be in the hospital for about 2 days. The Dr. said Easton would have a tube coming out of his kidney which would drain into his diaper for 10-12 days until his body heals from the surgery. We wonder how that will affect his crawling. Who knows. An interesting side note - we realized all his issues seem to be affecting mostly his right side - right kidney, right teste, & right hip. We don't if that means anything. He likes to "Choose the Right" that's for sure.
Thanks again for all your thoughts & prayers!
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Rockin' his Elvis Hips!
Sorry, it's been a while. Development Update: Easton is right on the verge of crawling! He's in the right position and started to move his legs forward to move! So exciting! He's also started pulling himself up to our Orange Juice Table (it's not a Coffee Table in our house) and into the standing position. And once there, he sways his hips around like he's Elvis or something. We call them his Elvis Hips. The orthopedic doc at Shriners calls it Hip Displasia (who knows, maybe Elvis had Hip Displasia too?) He now has a brace that holds his legs at 110 degrees (almost the splits) while he sleeps so that the ball joint will develop right. We're told it may require surgery, but they'll wait till he is a little older so they don't stop his development with the body cast it will require. In the mean time they say he might develop an 'interesting gait', and he'll keep rockin the Elvis Hips!
The ankles are also rockin, so we've ordered some ankle braces to help train his feet to work right. Luckily he'll only need to wear those while doing therapy and working on standing.
His MRI came back (they were looking for Spina Bifida), and they found a small conglomeration near the cord, said it might be similar to a Tethered Cord, but it's not Spina Bifida and they don't think it will affect him much. The neurologist said his brain stuff seems to coincide with people with strong upper bodies, but who struggle with their lower. We're not sure what that means or entails entirely, but it seems to fit him for now. He is strong and well developed in his arms, and struggles with his legs. But that might be the same with all babies--they all seem to develop that way. So we'll see.
So now we wait for a week till he gets his renal exam again to see if his kidneys are draining properly, or if they will require surgery. Hopefully his Kidneys will be working perfectly so we won't have to operate. My heart aches when I see him recovering from surgery, and this one would be bigger than what he's had before.
By the time we're done with him, he'll be the bionic man!
The ankles are also rockin, so we've ordered some ankle braces to help train his feet to work right. Luckily he'll only need to wear those while doing therapy and working on standing.
His MRI came back (they were looking for Spina Bifida), and they found a small conglomeration near the cord, said it might be similar to a Tethered Cord, but it's not Spina Bifida and they don't think it will affect him much. The neurologist said his brain stuff seems to coincide with people with strong upper bodies, but who struggle with their lower. We're not sure what that means or entails entirely, but it seems to fit him for now. He is strong and well developed in his arms, and struggles with his legs. But that might be the same with all babies--they all seem to develop that way. So we'll see.
So now we wait for a week till he gets his renal exam again to see if his kidneys are draining properly, or if they will require surgery. Hopefully his Kidneys will be working perfectly so we won't have to operate. My heart aches when I see him recovering from surgery, and this one would be bigger than what he's had before.
By the time we're done with him, he'll be the bionic man!
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Time Flies
Wow, I can't believe it has been a year and a half since we started this adventure with Easton's first ultrasound. It sure has been a huge lesson in patience and it continues still. He just had his first birthday and is doing better than ever. He is down from 5 medications to 1, his kidney reflux has resolved, and he hasn't had a seizure since December. Plus, he is finally sitting by himself (with pillows around him). Yes, he is still behind but is making progress everyday! He is such an easy going boy, with the cutest smile & laugh - it makes all our troubles & worries with him worth it. He is like sunshine to the soul.
He had surgery a month ago on his manly parts, and everything has healed nicely. His left side was brought down, but his right was still up too far. The doc had to connect new blood vessels to the right and hope it survives. Easton had a follow up on surgery today and he will have another kidney scan in a few months. If his kidneys are still draining too slowly he'll have surgery on them along with his right teste. Besides that we just continue to have check- ups with his 5 different doctors. We're so glad we have such wonderful doctors to help us out and keep our Easton healthy. We feel so blessed!
He had surgery a month ago on his manly parts, and everything has healed nicely. His left side was brought down, but his right was still up too far. The doc had to connect new blood vessels to the right and hope it survives. Easton had a follow up on surgery today and he will have another kidney scan in a few months. If his kidneys are still draining too slowly he'll have surgery on them along with his right teste. Besides that we just continue to have check- ups with his 5 different doctors. We're so glad we have such wonderful doctors to help us out and keep our Easton healthy. We feel so blessed!
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Unconclusive
Yep, your guessed it. That option that left us hanging with no knew knowledge? That's what we got. Basically the geneticist said we don't know enough for now, but we've got plans for another MRI at 2 years old, and hope to learn more then.
I mentioned before that this would be the hardest route for me. But I also realize that without a 'label', he also doesn't have a limit. So we're fine with the news (or lack thereof). The doctor gave us the option of doing more random tests to see if we come up with anything, but didn't seem too hopeful that we would. He said the MRI at 2 years old would be our best bet because at 2 more of the brain is developed and you can see any irregularities better.
The only reason we might want to take the chances (and expense) with those random tests is if one of them showed us that he might have a tendency toward a certain ailment and there is something we can do now to help alleviate that.
But for now, he's happy, healthy and learning every day. That's our Easton Experience, and we love it!
I mentioned before that this would be the hardest route for me. But I also realize that without a 'label', he also doesn't have a limit. So we're fine with the news (or lack thereof). The doctor gave us the option of doing more random tests to see if we come up with anything, but didn't seem too hopeful that we would. He said the MRI at 2 years old would be our best bet because at 2 more of the brain is developed and you can see any irregularities better.
The only reason we might want to take the chances (and expense) with those random tests is if one of them showed us that he might have a tendency toward a certain ailment and there is something we can do now to help alleviate that.
But for now, he's happy, healthy and learning every day. That's our Easton Experience, and we love it!
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