hurry up and wait

Well I've been slacking a bit on the updates, but there's a few things to vent about since Caden's MRI last friday at Sick Kids.  We were supposed to arrive by 8am for the procedure to begin at 9.  We ended up getting there for 7, checked in, then had to wait around for a bit trying to relax with a coffee.  We were then taken in around 8 or so to have Caden's vital signs done and go over some of the information with the nurse.  Closer to 9 we got him changed into a gown and were finally called in to the room with the anesthetist, who again went over some questions and gave us the opportunity to ask questions.  It was at this point they mentioned that the MRI was actually booked for 3 hours, not the 1.5-2 hours we were originally told.  I also was not expecting them to swaddle Caden and put the gas mask on him while we were still there.  It was heartbreaking because he was crying and struggling and I had to try and soothe him by talking to him right in his face until he went to sleep.  Afterwards I said to Dave that I felt a bit woozy because I could smell the gas while I was that close to the mask.
From that point it was time to wait for 3 hours, and by the end of that time we were so anxious to see Caden, we rushed into the recovery room as soon as they called us.  It was upsetting to see our little guy completely out of it.  He was awake, but all limp and just blankly staring at the nurse with his mouth open.  Luckily, he came around pretty quickly, and except for seeming hungry, tired and a bit weak, he was almost back to normal by the time we got home.

About an hour or so after we got home, I noticed his face was getting flushed red and hot, but he didn't have a fever at all.  I called the MRI nurse to ask about possible reactions, and she consulted with the other staff who agreed that the general anesthetic would be out of his system already, but the contrast dye does last a bit longer, so any reaction would likely be due to that.  I asked if I could give him benadryl, they said it was a good idea, but to take him to emerg if the reaction didn't improve.  After giving the medication, the flushing seemed to go away, and then Caden was off to sleep for a bit.

After he woke up again, and for the rest of the evening, he kept doing this strange spastic head shaking-as though he was shaking his head "no" quickly, it would last for 5 or so seconds each time.  At first glance it looked almost seizure-like, but we could stop him from doing it by gently touching his face, and his eyes weren't rolling or unfocused, so initially I wasn't too worried.  But then of course I went online and started looking up side effects of the contrast dye.  Dave was also getting concerned that he kept doing it, and I was starting to think that I would be uncomfortable putting him to bed and going to sleep myself if something was wrong.  After a quick call to Sick Kids and being unable to get in touch with anyone in the MRI department, we decided to go to McMaster children's emerg, rather than our local hospital that deals mostly with adults.

Bad idea.  We had to wait from about 11:30 until after 3 in the morning, only to be seen by an incompetent doctor who basically just reiterated what I was saying, and then prescribed Caden ativan.  Since I didn't trust him I asked to have a written prescription rather than him be given the meds there, just so I could check with the pharmacist.  We may as well have stayed home for all the help we got there.  On the way home we stopped at shoppers pharmacy and I picked up the one pill that was prescribed after consulting the pharmacist to ensure it was safe.  When we got home I ended up giving Caden only half a dose because he was so tired  and wasn't shaking his head much anymore.

On Saturday there were a few incidents of the head shake, but not nearly as often as friday, and then fewer again on Sunday.  I haven't seen any today, so I'm hoping it was just a transient thing, possibly related to the MRI contrast, and maybe compounded by the stress and exhaustion of going through the procedure.

As it stands, we now have to wait 3 weeks for the results of the test, however while Caden was in recovery, the nurse had mentioned that there weren't any urgent findings that would warrant immediate consultation during the MRI.  I am assuming that means there weren't any issues with his brain or other major organs, and that we are dealing with vascular malformations mainly in the arm, but we will find out for sure on June 7.  Until then it's good to see the little man back to his normal self :)

MRI

Well it's finally come-Caden will be undergoing an MRI tomorrow at Sick Kids.  As I've mentioned before, the procedure is to determine the extent of the vascular malformation that has caused his extensive port-wine stains (red birthmark) and the swelling/enlargement of his right arm and shoulder.  They think they know that these symptoms are all part of a syndrome, potentially "Klippel Trenaunay Syndrome" or KTS, but the MRI needs to be done to confirm a diagnosis.  This imaging will also help the doctors to decide what course of treatment would be appropriate, as it will pinpoint the exact vessels that are affected.  For the MRI, Caden will be given a general anesthetic and will also be having a contrast dye to give clearer pictures of the blood vessels.  The whole thing is expected to last about 2 hours-during which time Dave and I will likely be nervous wrecks as we are not allowed to accompany him into the procedure area!

We won't be able to know the results for 3 weeks, so for now my nervousness is only related to the procedure-I'll deal with the results later.  Whatever the outcomes, what we do know is that we have a very happy and charming little guy (wait-make that "big" guy ;) who is completely oblivious to any physical concerns, and who we love with all our hearts...

Love you Bubba :)

7 months

Well, this past thursday Caden turned 7 months old... it's crazy!  Where has the time gone?  He wasn't as excited for this milestone as we were, due to the fact that he was sick for the past week.  On tuesday night he seemed a bit cranky and unusually tired, and then he threw-up on me before he went to bed.  He woke up at about 2am with a fever, and went back to sleep around 4 after the tylenol had taken effect.  I brought him in to the doctor the next day because he wasn't his usual self-he was sleepy and upset on and off.  The doctor suspected a minor chest or sinus infection, but prescribed antibiotics anyway because his fever kept coming back when the tylenol would wear off.  Let me tell you, the antibiotics have reeked havoc on his gut, he's basically peeing out his bum, and having explosions every hour or so, the diapers are unable to contain the watery consistency!  The good news is today and yesterday he was fever free, and somewhat back to his old self smiling and laughing :)
One positive side effect from Caden being sick was that he actually slept for 7+ hours the other night!  Hopefully this becomes a trend and isn't just a fluke.  Also, it's good that he is getting the sickness out of the way now-hopefully this means he won't be sick in 2 weeks for his MRI, because it would be cancelled.

About 2 weeks ago we went to Sick Kids for an appointment in both Physio and dermatology.  Caden has had a small rash on his right hand (kind of like eczema) and it seemed to be spreading.  They gave us a cream for it and said it was unrelated to his birth mark, which was a relief.  At the physio appointment they assessed Caden and gave us some good exercises to do with him in regards to rollong over and learning to sit on his own.  They said that he is only slightly delayed in the sitting, but that he should be getting the hang of it very soon-he's already showing signs of starting to do it.

Other than that stuff, we're just trying to go to the usual groups and get out with the other moms and babes.  Here's some recent photos of the little sicky :)