Me-O Mayo

Wow! What an experience! Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN has everything you can possibly imagine when it comes to health care. This is day 2 of our visit. Yesterday, Brevin met with Dr. Faubion, the Dr. who specializes in Crohn's Disease. He confirmed Dr. Z's diagnosis without a doubt. He provided us with a whole lot of information in a short amount of time.

After the consultation in the GI wing, we visited the radiology dept. where they took an xray of his hand to check for growth patterns. I was unaware that Crohn's can limit / stunt someone's growth. There are many other effects that I was unaware of. As we continued throughout our day, we spent most of it waiting on standby for an MRI. Without any luck of getting in, the one thing I did gain was the memory I have of putting puzzles together with my mom as a child. there were jigsaw puzzles in every waiting area. It didn't take long before I gravitated that direction and relived my experiences of excitement when that tiny piece of 500 found it's proper home. After drawing 6 vials of blood, our day at the clinic was over.
Today our waiting is over. Again we were on standby for an MRI, but had no luck. A bone density test was done, along with a visit to the growth specialist. We're glad to hear that Brevin's growth is normal, and has no ileffects at this time. We spent some additional time touring the facilities and enjoying the history of these walls. The Plummer Building was incredible- with the architectural details and offices of the Mayo brothers. An interesting fact, in the museaum there is an article about a woman from the New Market, IA area who was fortunate enough to have her neighbors raise $200 for her trip to the Mayo Clinic many moons ago. Her room fee was only $16. Wow how times have changed!
Tomorrow is another day of waiting, hoping to get an MRI before Friday, so we won't have to return next week. MAYO CLINIC is by far the coolest, most comprehensive hospital I have ever been to.

Football Ends- Testing Begins

Tonight was Brevin's last football game of the season. Although he did well against his former teammates, the White team lost in OT. On the positive side of things, Brevin failed to take Prilosec at all yesterday, as he stayed at a friends house on Halloween. He did, however, make it through the day and even used the bathroom at his friends house and had no problems.

Tomorrow we're heading to Mayo Clinic in MN to seek more answers, or perhaps consistency in them. We're praying for a second opinion that can either confirm or deny this disease. No matter what the outcome, I'd feel better knowing for sure what the plan is going forward. Thank you God for giving people the knowledge to help us through our tough times. We pray for your healing power, and that you deliver Brevin from his pain. If he must suffer through it, Lord, then I pray that you comfort him and give him strength to tolerate his discomfort.

As we prepare for our departure, I look forward to this experience- knowing that the best team in the nation is treating/ evaluating my son.

Pain, Pain, Go Away... That was fast...

Today was less than desirable, although it did have good moments. Brevin woke up in a good mood, wanting to watch TV, as he was staying home from school due to the flu. He had breakfast and took his medication- Prilosec,Iron and vitamin. After he ate, he watched Star Wars for about an hour. By the time lunch was ready, he was not hungry because his stomach hurt badly. He laid in bed for about two hours with a heating pad to comfort the pain he was experiencing. It was the most discomfort I have seen him have and the pain seemed to be excruciating. Things got better for him after his sister and I went outside and left him alone to rest. We finally called the doctor for ideas to control the pain. We're waiting for the call. After eating a late afternoon lunch, it seems that he has enough comfort to bother his sister and pick on her while she watches her movie. Perhaps that's a good sign. Now for the molar that is about to fall from his gumline- there is always something new!

H1N1- What next?

Wow it's amazing what can transpire in a week! Yesterday morning as Brevin was getting ready for school, I noticed a cough that had developed. Clearing his throat and sniffling- was this a side effect from the medicine? Did it weaken his immune system enough that he was susceptible to everything? The kid hardly ever gets sick- unless it's an ear infection so what is going on now? We already had an appointment scheduled for today to visit with his GI specialist about our options and the direction we were headed for treatment. At 7:15AM we headed to Omaha to make our appointment at Children's Hospital. The nurse took Brevin's temperature after check-in. I was alarmed when she said, "102.7." Brevin was supposed to have several tests today that would help determine what our long-term treatment plans would be. None of those would be done since he was running a fever and possibly dealing with the flu. After reviewing the film from the pill-cam and discussing the next steps in treatment, we ended the visit by terminating use of prednisone and ordering a test for influenza. How do they test for influenza? The patient lays down and the Drs pour liquid in the nostrils and then put long tubes in there to get it out. YUCK! THE RESULTS... + Type A. Whooo Pig Suey! Razorbacks!
So... we returned home and wiped EVERYTHING down with Lysol and continue to wash, wash wash! The good news, perhaps the stoppage of prednisone is a positive thing.

The second day of Prednisone...a success. Brevin was tired this morning, but nothing abnormal. It was more due to him not going to sleep on time- as he was "hyper" last night before bed. Football was tiring, but again, nothing different. Thank you, Lord, for another enjoyable day!

Crohn's-The Diagnosis

Since February of 2009, Brevin has struggled with stomach pain. The first xray showed that he was constipated. Miralax was supposed to take care of that. Then the pain continued- sometimes to the point that all he would do is sleep. He was hungry until food was placed in front of him and then the pains would become overwhelming. It seemed almost like a mental issue- was he talking himself out of eating? Our trip to the Mall of America in February was one we'll never forget. As we were trying to take in all of the shops, Brevin moved from bench to bench in the mall doubled over in pain. Phone calls to our local Dr. did nothing for us. Weight continued to drop from his once 110 lb. body while the Miralax kept everything moving throughout. Was this hormone induced? Was he just growing so much up that he stopped growing out? That didn't explain the pain- well severe constipation was the medical answer.

Summer came and went- swimming, baseball, tennis. Staying active was something that he managed to do. Perhaps that explained the weightloss. His appetite was greatly reduced, yet his physical activity continued. We visited our physician at Creighton Pediatrics in Omaha, NE. He referred us to a GI Specialist at Children's Hospital.

School began with everyone asking Brevin, "How did you lose all that weight?" Being called, "skinny" was not something he ever imagined, as last year it was the opposite. Tests, tests and more tests. Endoscopy, Colonoscopy and finally the pill cam. "Swallowing a camera??" I told all my friends, "Can you believe the technology?" The results are in... Crohn's Disease.

Yesterday was the first day of Prednisone, iron, Prilosec and vitamins. Aside from a little hyper activity before bed, Brevin's mood was great and acted as though things had never been better!