Remember me mentioning back in October that Lee has a growth in his ear canal? And that his doctor had me apply drops in his ear, and then take him back to be examined again, only to declare the growth still there? And definitely not a foreign object? Definitely an inflamed growth that needed to be seen by a specialist? ASAP?
So, I finally got the referral (a month later), and then the appointment was set for Lee to see the ENT last Friday in Glendale (10 miles from Downtown LA).
Remember me mentioning that I have a fairly high FREAK OUT level that multiplies by a kizillion when it comes to my kids? That the anxiety over something being wrong with my child, or even the anxiety over something maybe being wrong with my child, can send me over the edge completely? And I unfortunately don't drink enough Merlot to drown the fear? (I picked the wrong life to NOT be an alcoholic.)
OK. So, then Lee's been having neurological issues as of late that I've written about recently, that required a moving up of his regularly scheduled check-in with his neurologist. This revised appointment was scheduled for Thursday, the day before his appointment with his ENT. On his 7th birthday. In Long Beach. (25 miles from Downtown LA)
So, then on Wednesday morning, Lee had a seizure.
OK. Let's do the timeline in the right order:
Wednesday. Seizure
Thursday. Lee's Birthday
Thursday. Appointment with the Neurologist. In Long Beach.
Friday. Appointment with ENT. In Glendale.
Saturday. Lee's Birthday Party. In Back Yard.
I didn't mention the birthday party earlier. Just snuck it into the timeline.
The appointment with the neurologist resulted in the ordering of more tests. The seizure Wednesday came after the neurologist upped his anti-seizure meds last month due to increased activity. His seizure Wednesday morning came at a good time, actually, so that I could tell his doctor in person, when the events and characteristics of this seizure were still fresh.
He hasn't had an MRI since July, 2010, and he hasn't had an EEG since last spring, so she ordered both tests in addition to blood work. Hopefully, the tests will give some insight into what might be going on with him, and hopefully, he'll have them in early to mid January, or even sooner. His follow-up with the neurologist is in mid-January.
We were able to celebrate his birthday with Hugo's family Thursday night, and he had phone calls and even balloons brought over by Papa (my dad) all day, and no small amount of excitement over his coming birthday party on Saturday. It's fun to be 7. Even with doctor visits, which have become commonplace for Lee.
On Friday we went to see the ENT, and I had to work very hard at not letting myself get all freaky over the possibilities of a connection between increased seizure activity, and the potential growth in his ear. Especially after what we went through last summer with his grandma's passing due to a tumor on her brain. It doesn't even take that much for my mind to go wild, but when you add something that big, and bad, and close, and so recent, I was working over time to stay peace-filled and calm.
Even looking for humor on the way. The fact that when we walked into the waiting room, I discovered that Lee's ENT shares an office with a plastic surgeon, and the plastic surgeon was offering Holiday Specials on Botox, and all I had to do was ask them about it, and it really tickled my funny bone. Only in California.
The ENT was an older man with a light strapped to his head, illuminating from his forehead. He had a stern demeanor, but seemed loved by the staff. He was sitting in the examining room when we entered, and he was on the phone. He left us in the room while he continued the call down the hall, but I could still hear every word as he chewed out a random nurse at a nurse's station at a hospital for not understanding English. "It's. a. simple. question. how. long. has. Mrs. Smith. been. in. the. I. C. U.?!!!!!" When he came back into Lee's room, I had to stifle a laugh. And do serious kegels.
He grabbed his looking into the ear doodad, positioned his forehead light into Lee's ear canal, and within seconds said, "The is a foreign body." He grabbed his picking something out of the ear doodad, and pulled out something red. He examined it, and declared Lee's very inorganic "growth" to be a very foreign piece of eraser.
If Lee's family practice doctor was in the room, I would have...oh, it didn't matter. Rage over her misdiagnosis was washed away by relief, but I did have to tell him how adamant she was that the "growth" in his ear wasn't anything foreign. That it was organic. And I had to ask him. Was it really that obvious to him that fast? And should I be worried that the regular doctor was so wrong? OK, I didn't say it like that. It was more like, "Dr. Rosa was certain that it was organic, and she was so concerned. But yet, you knew so quickly that it was a foreign object."
Without looking at me, and with his eyes still fixed down the flashlight beam into Lee's right ear he said, "Well, I suppose that's why you're seeing a specialist." So cocky. So arrogant. So right. And I had to work to not laugh again, because I knew he wasn't trying to be funny.
The drive home was awesome. I was so light with relief.
Better than that. We loved it.
Last night, we gathered the whole family into the Family Room, everyone in their pajamas, with their favorite cuddle blanket, a mug of hot chocolate, and big bowls of popcorn, and we watched the Christmas Classic, "It's a Wonderful Life." Nothing could have been more fitting. Hugo and I marveled at how we saw parallels between the blessings George Bailey came to discover, and the very ones we ourselves know to treasure and never take for granted. Even simple things like feared catastrophes being merely a bit of eraser a little boy inserted into his ear one time (zero recollection was the result of Dr. Flashlight's interrogation, so it's a mystery how it came to be a part of Lee for all these weeks).
When we gather up all of those November Blessings from last month, and add in a full measure of Christmas Magic, it's wonderful to see what God can do with our lives when we let Him. This is a special time of year. May we all enjoy it.
No comments:
Post a Comment