utechblog

As Mike posted last night, today was Zoe’s ct scan. This test was supposed to give us a definitive diagnosis by ruling out signs of Crohn’s disease.

It was an early morning and then we played “hurry up and wait.”  When a department gets behind before 8 a.m. you have to feel bad for how long their day is going to be.  We were scheduled at 8:15 but didn’t get her IV in until 9:00.  That went better than we could have hoped for. They put numbing cream on three locations, but only on one of her hands.  As it turns out, however, the only vein they could find to use was in that one hand. Figures, right?  She was nervous but she handled it like a pro and the hospital staff working with her were incredible.

After that she was supposed to begin drinking the contrast solution. This was another concern of hers — she hasn’t let go of some of those traumatic memories from before and stepped into the healthy version of herself.  I had to leave for a poorly scheduled job interview and Mike stayed for the rest of the procedure.  She did have an attack of nerves and took awhile to get talked back down — again, Thank the Lord for those hospital workers!  They did manage to get her calmed down and complete the scan.

THIS WAS OUR BIGGEST PRAYER CONCERN!

My fear was that her nerves would get the best of her in spite of weeks of preparation and that we would have another failed experience that would only make the next attempt that much worse.  Thank you to those who lifted her up in prayer, it was certainly needed and definitely answered.

We were expecting results tomorrow, but already received a phonecall from her GI doctor’s office with the results that there was no evidence of Crohn’s disease! Her diagnosis remains Ulcerative Colitis unless a future flare-up shows signs of it being Crohn’s.  Apparently there is a lot left unknown with Irritable Bowel Diseases (IBD) and also much uncertainty. Diagnosis is generally tricky and ongoing.

In the mean time, we’re celebrating these victories today.

Zoe’s test is in the morning. Having just wrapped up the second round of what turned out to be a 13 hour day at work I figured I would throw in a few thoughts tonight.

I really think Zoe will do a great job tomorrow, she became a little aprehensive when she learned she would need an IV for the procedure tomorrow, but I know she will do great. It is amazing to me how much this whole ordeal has brought her in to her own, she has quite the sharp wit and is actually pretty funny. It really seems like she has grown up a lot over the past couple of months yet at times she still seems to be holding on pretty tightly to being more immature, but then again don’t we all to the degree we can get away with.

School will be starting back up soon and it will be good to have this procedure behind us and hopefully confirm the diagnosis we have had for the last few weeks. Ironically today (it is after midnight) is the end of my first 90 days at my current job. God knew what He was doing and His timing could not have been more perfect. I have to write up that story and share it. My daughter is alive and her condition is in remission, we have a great income and health care benefits just in the nick of time, not to mention the awesome medical care we have received from our family doctor and the medical staff at CCHMC – you have to ask yourself “what are the odds?” – well, with God… 100%

The doctor’s office called today with her latest blood test results and with a date for the CT enterography scan.  First, praise God her blood levels are all nearly back to normal!  She is still considered anemic, but her levels are right at the borderline.  Other levels show the inflammation is now under control and she can be considered to be in remission!

Pardon us while we do a little celebration dance…

The nurse also had an appointment for the CT scan — this coming Tuesday!  That was fast, but that’s good I think.  No dramatic buildup and it can be over and done with, results should be ready the next day.  She’ll have to arrive at 7:15 a.m. and at 8:15 the procedure should start.  The problem is I have a job interview later that morning with about a 45 minute drive. We don’t want to change the CT and the interview can’t be changed.

Please pray for Zoe’s ability to drink the barium. Pray for her nerves to remain calm and the ability to hold everything down.  She’s worked hard in therapy to learn how to do these things and she needs to trust God to help her accomplish it.

I’m not even sure who’s still reading here. I know it’s not a lot given the visitor stats, but we expected that as news dwindled and the immediacy of her situation died down that interest would as well. We’re thankful for those who have come and gone, and for those who continue to peek in from time to time.

Today we had another follow up visit. Zoe is completely back to normal in regards to symptoms. She’s also regained every bit of weight she lost and then a bit more. Her cheeks are rounded from the steroids but that should start to go down a little as she contiues to wean off of the Prednisone. The doctor has her scheduled to be done with the Prednisone by September 1. She is also changing from a high dose of Vitamin D to a multivitamin. Both of these are great news! She’ll have another visit on September 11 and after that we’ll hopefully see much less of them.

In the mean time, we need to get the CT enterography scheduled before school (hopefully) to finalize her diagnosis. Without that procedure we can’t know for certain that she doesn’t have Crohn’s.  That’s the big question remaining in this whole thing.  In related news, she was released from therapy and can return as needed.