Sunday, June 24, 2012

Hurry Up

There are times lately where I just am at a loss for words.

Whirlwind doesn't begin to describe our last month.  Between the start of soccer and end of the year festivities, we survived a very long viral infection with the boy.  Luckily, while it was tough and fast, the flare that came after only lasted a few days.  However, we are now combating the after effects of the weight he has lost.

On the other hand, a few weeks ago we participated in the Take Steps Against Crohn's and Colitis in honor of Cole.  Not only was it powerful to see so many other people there in support of IBD, but heartwarming to be joined by so many people on our team in support of not just Cole, but our family.  It has been a challenging journey and this day reminded me that we are not alone, even though there are days it sure feels like it.

Throughout our medical odyssey, there has been tremendous "hurry up and wait" in terms of testing and moving forward.  It seems we've returned to the first part of the cycle once again.

Once again, we are heading for numerous blood tests as ordered by a world renowned immunologist whose specialty is nk cell function.

Late Friday afternoon we received a call from our immunologist outlining some of this doctor's concerns as well as his desire to have a number of new tests run that should offer answers, or at the least, further direction.  Due to the impressively low function, yet not the absence of function, this man believes there must be an underlying cause, not just Cole's IBD.  Again, the blood markers he is looking for in combination with the other panels being run should confirm or discredit some of his thoughts.

As before, some of the blood drawn will go to Cincinnati Children's.  Additionally, a portion will be sent to a lab in Philadelphia.  Some of the tests take a few days, some others, a week or two.  These waits aren't really all that long, considering the lengthy wait last December for Cole's genetic panel for NEMOS. Still, depending on the results we already know further genetic testing may be done and I am not looking forward to that wait.

But, no matter what, I will continue to be patient, one day at a time.  I will continue to share here, just know that there are days neither Nick or I have the words to express where we are and are just trying to keep things as normal as possible for the kids as we move down this road.  This new normal has taught me more than I could ever describe, and my heart goes out to those parents and families whose adventures are much harder than ours.  It is in talking to these families I realize how truly fortunate we are, no matter how difficult our path has been, it could be so much steeper.

2 comments:

  1. Thank you Aunt Barb! You too! Looks like those grandkids are loving their time at PNP!

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