I usually try to sit and write about Tate and Eliza’s medical appointments soon after they are over so that it all gets from my crowded brain to my little scrapbook here!
We have been busy and blessed with Christmas, so here we are!
It is time to report on team Tate and team Eliza!
Yes, those dimples literally S A V E that boy on a daily basis!
We spent Wednesday and Thursday of last week at the American Family Children’s Hospital in Madison.
The appointments that were scheduled were Tate and Eliza’s check-ups.
It just so happens that check-ups when you have spina bifida, severe scoliosis, hip dysplasia, a VP shunt, and neurogenic bladders and bowel come with lots of different doctor appointments, scans, x-rays, and sedated procedures.
We headed out in the cold over the snowy roads for an almost three hour drive to Madison.
We have the best little travelers though!
We were a little early, so we made a pit stop at Costco.
What I wouldn’t give for that store to be closer to our farm!
The van was pretty full, so I only grabbed a few things that are hard to find other places.
When we arrived at the hospital, the gal that our first appointment was with was called upstairs to help a patient.
So we had a little bit of a wait!
Blake headed back to the van for some coloring books.
Tate had a car seat evaluation, because his current car seat is very uncomfortable for him.
The appointment went well, and with Tate’s orthopedic surgeon’s help, we are hopeful Tate will be approved for a medical grade car seat that will be much better for him!
After we were done there, we ran to Whole Foods for some food, and then back across the street from the hospital to check-in at the Ronald McDonald house.
This place is FANTASTIC.
We were loved on SO BIG, we seriously wanted to move in!
The littles watched Curious George while Blake ran to Chipotle to get some dinner!
There is a HUGE kitchen on the first floor of the Ronald McDonald house. There was a group of bank employees working together to make a delicious meal. There are times when having Celiac disease is a BUMMER!
Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus also stopped by! But I don’t have a photo of them!
Tate and Eliza know that Santa is not a real thing, because we have never celebrated Christmas that way.
We did prepare them for Santa’s arrival though, because we did not want them to spoil what the other children there had been told about Santa.
After dinner Mrs. Claus was helping kiddos frost sugar cookies, but since they were not gluten-free we opted out.
Just around the corner though, was a man with his therapy dog!
I wish I had a better photo, because Matilda was SUPER adorable, and SUPER soft, and SUPER friendly!
And it is no secret that we LOVE animals!
Tate loved the statue of Ronald himself, but kept saying “MOM! This guy won’t talk back to me!”
We also had a ticket to the toy room.
I honestly did not know what this meant – but was assuming it was to pick out toys to play with while we were there.
Nope.
It was so Tate and Eliza could pick out three toys EACH to take home with them.
I know!
Instead Tate picked out a toy for Clyde and his soon-to-be-new-niece (the sweet baby girl David and Kayla are adopting!).
Eliza was so overwhelmed she had grabbed a toy and was sitting on the floor playing with it.
Tate finally picked a toy for himself too.
I was putting lots of photos and videos of our time at the Ronald McDonald house on Instagram Stories, because I knew Kayla was showing it all to the kids back at home!
That is the only photo I have of this room full of toys!
Next we checked out two DVD’s from the hundreds of them at the front desk, and headed back to our room to snuggle in and get ready for bed.
Because we were only two minutes away from the front door of the hospital, and because Tate nor Eliza could eat or drink, or needed to be changed into their clothes, our morning wasn’t too terribly early.
Tate was up for sedation first, checking in at 7:30 a.m.
He drank his sleepy medicine without complaint.
We had spent a lot of time over the last week or so preparing them for this big day!
We were blessed with these two new IPads, and had hidden them since we got them several weeks ago.
I pulled them out right as sedation for Tate started.
The littles were beside themselves excited!
They knew what an IPad was because they had played with one before that the hospital had provided at different appointments we have been at.
This was the first time we have done this bladder study test with both of the littles present. I was truly not sure how I felt about that, or how things would go. Even under sedation, because the sedation is light, they usually want to be able to see both Blake and I the whole time. But this time we had Eliza sitting behind us waiting for her turn next. I was worried that seeing it all would make her scared, and that it would not be good that she could not have my full attention. Talk about my heart in two places! Thankfully, the IPad was very distracting for her, and the bed that Tate was on was raised up really high and blocked by all of us standing next to it. She remained calm the whole time, even when Tate was very, very upset. Tate would yell “Where is Eliza? I can’t see her!! I want Eliza!” We would hold Eliza up, and he would calm back down. Sweet boy! These sedated procedures take about two hours each. Blake and I were part of the crew of people who were helping hold Tate still, hold his hands so he would not pull the tubes out, and also helping try to keep him calm. It is a level of exhaustion that is hard to explain.
Once Tate was finished and starting to wake-up, they moved Eliza and I to another room to get started. She was SO calm, had words for everything she was feeling, and drank her sleepy medicine nicely!
We used the IPad during Eliza’s procedure too. She never got upset the whole two hours! She did everything they asked, used calm words when she needed to tell us something was hurting or bothering her, and just like that – it was ALL done!
During Eliza’s procedure, I had strapped Tate into the stroller so he would not try to stand up. Their legs take awhile to wake up too! He was happy there the whole time, with his IPad.
Next…..Blake and I HAD OUR HANDS FULL! Two kiddos coming out of sedation, not able to walk but wanting to, needing fed, having to go potty – but going potty hurting because of tubes being where they shouldn’t be…..
…..did you hear Tate screaming from where you are??
OH MY. I never had a chance to look around as we sat in the lobby and tried to feed our starving selves – but I bet we were quite the sight!
Next up was a neurosurgery appointment.
With two cherubs strapped tight in that stroller!
That was a GREAT appointment!
Our “new to us” neurosurgeon told us our favorite word – STABLE.
He also gave us our plan going forward – which is moving these check-ups from December to September next year (at our request!), where we will only need a scan of Tate’s shunt. No other scans! Yipee!!
After that, we headed to urology.
Tate and Eliza were getting fussier and fussier, but were able to walk by then.
Blake and I shared some concerns, and the doctor spent A LOT of time with us explaining everything so well. It eased our minds so much. By this time, both Tate and Eliza were asleep in our laps, and do not remember being checked over by the urologist! All is STABLE in this area as well. Praise the Lord.
We moved these check-ups to next September as well. Both the littles will continue to need the sedated procedure to check on their neurogenic bladders, and the ultrasounds to check on their kidneys.
Will we piggy back these appointments again, having both littles at the same time? I might need another week before I can answer that.
Let’s just say, I may need to start drinking caffeine again before then if we do, but this decaf Americano tasted super yummy on our almost three hour drive home late Thursday afternoon!!
Some things I do know for sure – I am so thankful these appointments will not fall near Christmas next year!
We cannot be more thankful that everything is STABLE for our two brave and strong cherubs.
I left that urology appointment last Thursday in tears, just overwhelmed with the kind of care we have for Tate and Eliza.
AFCH Madison is an AMAZING place, with AMAZING people!
We are so blessed!!
