And Now We Wait...

Asher's endoscopy was today. Because he was added on at the very last minute, the poor kid was the very last patient of the day. And because the gastroenterologist was running about two hours behind, Asher's endoscopy started around 6:00 PM. He hadn't had a thing to eat since 8:45 AM (he's FOUR!) and didn't have a nap and he was an amazing trooper. I've never met a more easy-going kid in my life.

We lucked out on anesthesiologists. We had the same anesthesiologist as we had last year. I recognized him and remembered what a great recovery Asher had from anesthesia. He looked up the records and - sure enough - he was the same guy. So he mixed up the same anesthesia recipe as last time. And the recovery was just as nice. Now we have a perfect anesthesia recipe for Asher - just what every four year-old should have.

Every one knows us at this hospital. I know it sounds rather pathetic, but I find comfort in it. The woman at the information desk - Kathy - lights up and gives us a great big hug when we walk past her desk. Today she gave Asher a beautiful soft stuffed lion. Asher named it "Ligy", and hugged Ligy and held him for the rest of the day. We meant to bring him into the procedure room with us, but he managed to get left behind somehow. Not to worry, Ligy was there when Asher awoke from his anesthesia cocktail.

The OR nurse, Katherine, has been taking care of my kids in the OR for the past six years. We hug, catch up on each other's lives, and when it's our turn, she takes great care of Asher during his endoscopy. I know my baby is safe in her care. I walk into the procedure room with Asher and I hold him and sing to him as he drifts off to sleep. Then I leave the room knowing that Katherine is there to care for him. When the procedure is over, she comes to get me and bring me to his bed so that I can be with him for when he wakes up. I know that my baby is in good hands.

Being the last patient has its advantages. Today, Asher's pediatric GI doctor and I were able to chat for a solid 30 minutes. Any other time of day, he has about two minutes to talk before he rushes off to another patient. It was blissful to get the opportunity to sit in the conference area and and talk with him.

Perhaps you can tell: we didn't go to Cincinnati this time. We tried. Good golly, I can't imagine trying any harder than we have! Truthfully, we've had a really difficult time getting care from them. No matter how much we tried, we weren't able to talk with the doctor after Asher's last horrendous scope to get a plan of action. We struggled to talk to someone - anyone - after Asher lost the use of his arms and legs and I suspected the huge dose of Flovent he prescribed to be the culprit. I was told to go to my pediatrician, even though the ped. gastroenterologist in Cincinnati was the prescribing physician. And six months of struggling to get an endoscopy date has ended up in failure. I can't imagine getting worse care than this. Which led us back to Duke Children's. And like I mentioned, we know the place. We know where to park so that the walk is a mere feet from the entrance instead of blocks away. And it's so close to our house. It's a five minute drive - instead of a two day excursion. Can't beat that. And they know us. Maybe we'll stick with them for awhile.

And now we wait for the biopsy report. It should be back within the week. Stay tuned for the results...