ENT Follow Up

We were back at the ENT this morning. The appointment went very well! Justin is nearly 13 pounds, up from his post-surgery low of less than 10 pounds. And his ENT thinks he is doing wonderfully! I think she is my favorite doctor, because she is so encouraging and so enthusiastic about everything he does. She was able to see his left ear drum, barely, so that is good for checking fluid accumulation and potential ear infections. She did ask if he had been sick, and I was able to say with pride that he hadn't (just wait...) so we have set a return visit to the audiologist in 6 months for another hearing test, "after he gets sick a few times and he gets some fluid on those ears". What?! We aren't going to get sick! Not on my watch! (just wait...) I was very pleased leaving her office this morning.

And then I went to Ladies' Bible Class to get Travis where I had sent him during our appointment. At dinner last night he started saying that his feet hurt, and they looked a bit red, but I couldn't see anything, so I put some cream on and sent him to bed. He woke up in the night saying that his feet hurt and I had to put more cream on them. This morning he said they hurt and I gave him some benadryl because it looked like a rash. I picked him up from class and I had someone else look at his feet, and she said, "Oh, that looks like hand foot and mouth disease." What?! We aren't going to get sick! Not on my watch... So there went all my pride. And it was replaced with fear for Justin. But if he was exposed it's already too late. Now I can only pray that he doesn't get it, because there is nothing I can do beyond keeping them apart. And reading on-line, it says that a person can transmit the virus even after visible symptoms are gone. So, we are back in seclusion, more or less. Travis sucks his thumb, so there is NO WAY I can prevent his saliva from being transmitted to anyone else. It is nearly impossible to stop him from sucking his thumb while he uses the bathroom, much less while he is playing. You know, we missed last Halloween when Travis randomly threw up on our way to the Pumpkin Patch party at our church. And now this? I even had a good costume this year! I will still evaluate, but it looks like we are home bound for a bit longer... And I apologize to anyone else we may have infected, completely unknowingly.

And a deep thought: The doctor's office that we were at this morning is the satellite office for all different specialists, including therapists, so there are no regular pediatricians at this office. It's the place we hope to be able to visit the cardiologist when we are released from TCH so we can avoid the hour drive and $10 in parking. So everyone who is there has some specific issue, with varying degrees of severity. While we were waiting, another little girl with DS came in with both her parents. She was about 18 months to 2 years I would guess. I kept snatching quick glances at her to see what she was doing. We were called back fairly quickly after she arrived. I hope that they weren't put off by my peaks. I am sure they get looks a lot, but my look was for a different reason. I hope that I remember that not all looks are meant to be gawks. I have started thinking recently about the other "firsts" that Justin will experience: the first time a peer teases him for the way he does or can't do something, the first time people gawk at us at the park, the first time he isn't included in a game because no one wants him on their team. I have been pondering this for a while, and I realize that almost every child will have these "firsts", but I think Justin's will continue more frequently. And I think they will bother me more than Justin. I hope they do. But I have been praying that I am prepared for them. That God will give me the words to say, or the blinders to ignore it, or the right actions to protect Justin, and also to let God shine through. Will Justin be hurt? Probably. Will I be hurt? Definitely. But how will we respond? And how will we recover? I hope that is the more crucial piece. I ask God regularly to place in my mind the thoughts that need to be there, for preparation and for planning. I cannot consider Justin's entire life, but I want to focus on the part that is now and just ahead, and let God do the long range planning.