there’s no place like home, there’s no place like home
Especially when you find out your family is in one piece and healthy.
Thanks so much everyone for your kind support through this ordeal. Here’s a little breakdown of the past few days in my world:
-On Saturday, Christopher got really sick with a fever and cold.
-Sunday was better
-Monday, he complained about pain on his knee. He wouldn’t stand on it. We just thought he had aches from the virus.
-Tuesday, I came home from work where Lori reported he’d had very low energy and would not get up off the couch. That evening, I gave the kids a bath. That’s when we really began to wonder because Christopher was very afraid to stand or walk and cried at the suggestion.
-No improvement on Wednesday. I came home early only to see him wake up in pain so I took him to a local clinic who had grave concern about his legs. Specifically, he suggested his knee pain was likely referred pain from his hips and that it could be some kind of infection. He called the Stollery Children’s Hospital and made arrangements for us to get admitted to emergency.
-We arrived at 7:30 PM.
-13 hours of poking, prodding and testing by a dozen or so people.
-one hour of sleep.
-Thursday 8:30 AM:admission to the hospital as an in patient knowing two facts: 1) his white blood cell count was low, and 2) His room was in the oncology unit. We found out the next day he was admitted there because that’s where there was room for him.
-Thursday: More tests. X-rays and ultrasounds – many of which involving stretching Christopher’s legs out. He went through a lot of excrutiating pain. It was awful.
-However, by Thursday evening, things were looking up. Cancer and infection had been eliminated, Christopher was feeling better and, by later that evening, some mobility was returning. However, the most common words being used around him were that he was a “puzzle” and a “mystery” with two possible diagnosis: 1) Something neurological, and 2) Some form of tendon/ligament issue (they had a big word for it that I can’t remember) somehow brought on by the virus he’d contracted. The plan was that if his legs didn’t get better within 12 to 24 hours, the hospital team would become more “aggressive”.
-Lori went home to be with Cassandra I stayed at the hospital with Christopher.
-Christopher slept right through the night without waking even once – not even when he was having his vitals taken.
-Friday morning: The boy had better mobility and the doctors were convinced he’d be a-ok. They told us he’d probably go home on Saturday.
-Later this morning, we got a visit from a whole team of doctors. They were very happy and told us Christopher would have a physiotherapy treatment and go home – today.
We got home late this afternoon and the boy still can’t stand or walk but his legs are getting more mobile with every hour.
I’m dead tired but couldn’t be happier. What an amazing team at the Stollery. Professional, outrageously thorough and knowledgable and so sensitive. I’ll be making a donation there very soon.
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you must be so releived!
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Saturday May 13, 2006 @
Holy cow. What a week you guys have had. My neighbour’s little guy had three days where he wasn’t able to walk due to dehydration … yet he had no other signs. The human body is a wonky thing.
Stollery is an AMAZING facility. We’re blessed to have that kind of facility so close by.
Hope you all have a much more low-key, healthy weekend, and that Christopher is up to Buzz-Lightyear speed soon.