Medical update

This week, we took Grayson to the pediatric gastroenterologist we were referred to. I really like her. She's young and seems to really know her stuff. She asked us a lot of questions about Grayson's eating, his behavior during and after eating, what results, etc. After an exam, she talked to us in detail about what could be wrong - every single possibility. She also told us her plan of action with each possible diagnosis. She was VERY thorough.
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She ended up ordering us to go to the lab for blood work. Poor Grayson had to give 2 tubes of blood to get enough samples for all the tests the doctor ordered. As we sat in the waiting room of the lab, I know Ray and I looked like we had been hit by a bus. Grayson had no idea what he was about to go through. And of course, he had such a traumatic experience giving blood last time. I felt sick sitting there waiting for his name to be called. Then I saw a sign that only one parent could go back with the child. I understand their reasoning, but I wanted both Ray and I to be with Grayson. Without hesitation, Ray offered to go back there with him. I thought that might be a good idea. Maybe Ray could hold him better, make him feel more at ease, or whatever. It was worth a shot. I certainly wished he was there the last time. It was a nightmare.
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Finally, the nurse called for Grayson. I hated seeing Ray carry him away. I wanted to go too. Instead, I just sat there feeling sad. Needless to say, Gray did cry. That stick hurts....and they had to do it in the fold of his arm to get the amount of blood they needed. The difference this time though is that while the nurses didn't have an awesome bedside manner (per Ray), they knew what they were doing. They didn't fish around in his arm in search of a vein.
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After about 5 minutes of torture for all three of us, especially Grayson, we left the lab. Ray and I were so glad it was over and done with. The remainder of the testing the doctor ordered was virtually painless for G - stool samples.
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We had to collect 6 stool samples. It took several days. And as you can imagine, it wasn't fun. I cannot tell you how glad I was to drive that last sample to the lab to tell them this was our FINAL sample.
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Now, we wait. We hope nothing is terribly wrong, but we would rather the doctor tell us something isn't right than everything is "fine" or "normal"...because how Grayson eats and how his body processes food is not "fine" or "normal".
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Oh, I almost forgot we were given some samples and an Rx to fill of Prevacid. We have to disolve a pill every morning in a little bit of water, resulting in what we tell Grayson is his "juice". It smells pretty good - like strawberry. But it is just water with big grits floating in it. I'm surprised he doesn't mind it. He just doesn't, and we are really glad of that. After a week or so, we should see if that medicine is helping him any. If it does, what it is doing is healing any damage to his esophagus as a result of acid wear. Obviously, that would keep him from wanting to eat certain foods. So far, every morning we've given it to him, he's taken his "juice" without a problem. He's such a good boy. :)
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THEN, I noticed Grayson was sneezing a good bit. And his nose was a little runny. I wasn't real worried though. The weather has changed a good bit here lately (rainy and humid rather than extremely hot and dry). So, I called the nurse to get her opinion. She recommended we get some Children's Benadryl to help dry up his head and to give G Children's Motrin if he seems feverish. That's what we did. He got a good night of rest.
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But when G woke up the other morning, he was having trouble breathing through his nose. He seemed freaked out that he couldn't breath through his nose. He quickly realized he had to breathe through his mouth. About that time, he sneezed. When he did, he held his face and cried. Poor baby. He had so much pressure in his head. I felt so bad. I was worried. I suctioned out his nose with one of those bulb things. He hated it.
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I called the doctor right away. I got an appointment for Grayson that day but not until almost 5pm. Fortunately, my mom was off from work. She came over to spend the day with G and I. He always love spending time with his Mimi. The news of her coming always puts a smile on his face.
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Because my mom was with us all day, Grayson refused to nap. I hated he made that choice because he always needs a nap, especially when he's sick. But you can't make a child sleep. He did fall asleep after about 2 minutes of riding in the car though. He slept about 20 minutes (still not enough but better than nothing).
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Grayson did pretty good in the doctor's office. What upset him the most was having to be put on the scale. He doesn't like it. He would rather be held. When the nurse saw he wasn't going to be cooperative, she basically just wrote down a number the scale gave her. It was almost two pounds more than what he weighed just days before. It was wrong, but whatever. Really, weighing him wasn't necessary. It is just part of their routine.
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One thing awesome about a pediatrician's office is that they have things kids like - toys, books, art, etc. Their collection, along with what we bring in with us, keeps G entertained. The two "off-limit" things that he's always interested in though are the trash can and the cabinets.
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My mom and I were sitting in the two chairs in the room while Grayson walked around exploring. When she saw him heading for the cabinet, she reached out, grabbed the cabinet handle, and kept it pushed shut so Gray couldn't open it. Of course, he was aggravated. Our smart boy was determined to open the cabinet and saw his Mimi wasn't moving. So, he took a step back, lowered his head, and head butted her arm! It was so funny! After doing this a few times, he saw she still wasn't moving (just laughing hysterically). That's when he lifted his head up and walked into her, letting his neck hit her arm. I guess he thought that it seemed like he was being choked, his Mimi would move. Now tell me that isn't smart!!!! This time, she did move but only to let him pass by before grabbing the handle and keeping it pushed shut once again.
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When the doctor came in the exam room, Grayson held me tight. Poor baby remembered that place and that being there involved shots last time. But just like last time, Gray's doctor was AWESOME! How can he be so energetic, animated, friendly, sincere, informative, and thorough at the end of a work day?! I have no idea but he was. It made me feel good to see he's consistent.
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The doctor knows what he's doing. He took his time and made friends with Gray, showing him his medical instruments, explaining how they worked, etc. When it was time to listen to his heart and lungs, G was very cooperative. He even did deep breaths like the doctor needed him to! It was cute to watch. Gray let the doctor look in ears and even his problematic nose. He didn't want his mouth messed with. He won't let Ray and I pry it open either. A few times, we've gotten the bright idea of trying to count how many teeth he has. We never get beyond the obvious 5 or 6 right in front! ;) We had to lay him down on the table so the doc could use a tongue depresser. It wasn't as bad as I thought. The doctor pointed out that Gray must have bitten the side of his cheek at some point. That hurts. Not sure when he did that. Also, the doctor said his molars are coming in. I'm pretty sure those are his very last ones because our boy's mouth is full of teeth. I've never seen any gaps.
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The result of the dr visit is that Gray has a head cold. His nose is quite stuffy, but it has not settled in his chest and lungs. And obviously, the goal is to prevent that. We were given a "recipe" for saline nasal drops. We are supposed to mix it up, put a few drops in each nostril, and suction with a bulb. We've done this procedure once since the doctor visit. I would love to do it more, but getting it done is such a BIG deal. One person has to pin G down while the other tries like heck to get the dropper in his nostril to put some solution in it. We wish it weren't so difficult. It doesn't have to be, but Grayson is quite a fighter.
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We were advised to put a cool mist humidifier in his room at night, which we already had - thank goodness! That thing really seems to help. Gray likes walking up to it, bending down, and putting his face directly in the mist. It's funny to see. I guess it doesn't do him any harm...it just gives him a direct shot of cool moist air to his nose.
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And the final thing we were given as a result of Grayson's cold is samples of medicine. It's similar to Benadryl but has an antihistamine in it that will target the head cold specifically. I was thankful to be getting samples rather than an Rx. That's always helpful. The fact that Gray doesn't take liquid medicine well did cross my mind. But I didn't dwell on the thought because he had been taking Benadry and Motrin without much of a problem.
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But when we poured out a dose of what we call "the purple stuff", we smelled a STRONG grape smell (Grayson seems to prefer cherry or berry flavors) and saw how incredibly thick it was. Wonderful. G did not want to take it, but we coaxed him into doing it. We felt we had no choice really. We want him to feel as good as possible (keep the symptoms away). In order to do that, he needs to take medicine. It all makes sense, but it wasn't that simple. After taking a few drops (yes, only a few drops) of the medicine, Grayson threw up. It was awful. Poor baby. Ray and I both felt terrible. Obviously, we wouldn't be giving this medicine against his will if it wasn't necessary to help him feel better. Ray administered the second dose attempt. To our surprise, he kept it down. I don't know how - he sure looked like it was going to come back up. I think that dose helped him a lot that night. He got some good rest and seemed to feel better when he woke up than previous mornings.
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That next morning though, Ray was at work. It was up to me to give Grayson the next dose of 1/4 teaspoon. I was super nervous. I decided to give it to him a little at the time because even though 1/4 teaspoon doesn't seem like much, it is to him. The result: DISASTER. He got really sick. He threw up on himself, me, the kitchen floor, the cabinets, the front of the dishwasher, etc. It was everywhere. The only thing I could do was stand there and strip both he and I from our very soiled clothes. That's when he threw up again. It was awful. I felt TERRIBLE. Again, needless to say, making him sick is the last thing I wanted to do. I apologized to him again and again and again and again. Afterwards, he started crying. I know throwing up can be scary and feel awful. But also, I think he was hurt that I would give him something to make him feel so bad. He just didn't understand. And I cannot say enough how BAD I felt.
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I brought him to the bathroom and plunked him in the bathtub. Just as he always has been (since he was a baby), he was as happy as a lark considering he just threw up. He seemed really glad he was getting a full bath too (rather than just a sponge off). I soaped him up real good, washed his hair, let him play with his bath toys, and the whole 9 yards. As I sat there washing him, I was still apologizing. I couldn't shed my overwhelming feelings of guilt. To be honest, I was almost in tears. At one point, after I said, "Gray, I'm SO SORRY", he looked up at me, smiled, and winked. I felt a little better.
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I called Ray to tell him how the morning went. He told me he hated we had to go through that and said he would try to give G his dose of medicine when he got home. To make a long story short, the same thing happened again. It was horrible, HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE. After seeing him get so sick yet again, Ray and I decided we can't give him anymore of that medicine. As Ray says, the only dose of purple Grayson will get is Barney, which does make him feel better.
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I checked in with the nurse. She said if Grayson won't/can't take the medicine, it's okay. It just won't be there in his system to help fight the symptoms he's been experiencing. We were hoping to cut down the amount of time he suffers as a result of his cold, but I guess we have no choice but to let it run its course.
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I cannot say enough how good of a sport Gray always is, especially in the last week or so. He's gotten shots, had lots of blood drawn, been trying to fight off a cold, feeling confused about why his parents would give him something to make him throw up, etc. He's such a brave little boy. We are so proud of him. We hate he's been suffering (can't express HOW MUCH), and we REALLY hope it comes to an end VERY soon.
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And speaking of being a good sport, I should say that it goes beyond that really. While you can look at Gray and tell he feels bad, he's also been his usual self a good bit too. He has been smiling, laughing, playing, talking, and even dancing. Our boy has a fighting spirit. He's a tough cookie. Because of that fact, we're thinking that cold will get scared and move on sooner rather than later...or that's what we want more than anything anyway. :)
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