Today went well. Hans did awesome in the MIBG scan. This is scan that takes a little over an hour or so. Hans has to be taped down to a flat bed and the imaging machine circles around him. He can watch a video, but his view is obscured during a couple of the pictures they take. Hans was a great sport until about the last 5 minutes and he had just had it. I took him to his favorite cafeteria at the Methodist Hospital after the MIBG scan. Then we went in and got the CT done. He did very well for the CT scan! Yay Hans! Let's pray for normal results. I don't know when we'll hear...
A year ago today was Hans' first trip to TCH. His Pediatric Urologist was based out of the 4th floor of the Clinic Building. Luckily for me though, Hans was delivered in the Medical Center, so I was familiar with finding my way around there. (The only reason he was born there was because we wanted to deliver Hans in a hospital with a midwife, and for that we went to The Women's Specialists at St. Luke's and they were wonderful!)
I remember that a resident saw Hans first. I described his symptoms and behavior and recent excessive fussiness. The resident said, "Well, that's just being three." 'Maybe,' was my response. Maybe not. That's why I'm here, right? Then, Hans saw the Pediatric Urologist. I think he did feel Hans' belly, and, I don't remember Hans' belly looking bloated or distended at that point. He did not draw blood, and I didn't request that he draw blood.
The gist of the appointment was that the records from the Ultrasound had never arrived to the Urologist's office. I remember feeling very frustrated by this. I felt like we had waited a week for the appointment and that everything should have been there since our Dr.'s office had made the appointment. I should have checked up on them, or brought a copy with me. Who knew?
I shared my concern that all our bike riding had led to Hans' problem. After examining Hans (w/o benefit of the testicular ultrasound report) the doctor thought it was a 'torsion of the appendage of the testicle.' He recommended further restrictions to Hans' activities: no bike riding, no soccer, no rough housing and no straddle toys. The doctor reassured me that he would track down his ultrasound findings to confirm their consistency with his exam. He told us to 'take it easy', and that he expected the swelling to go down. He said to come back in about two and a half weeks.
I'll write more about this on Oct. 20th. That was the next visit. In the mean time I never heard back about the ultrasound. And, little did we know it, Hans' tumor would grow...
I'll write more on Sunday or Monday and post some pictures of the trip to the Ranch!
Lara
About Me
- Hans Weberling
- Bakersfield, CA, United States
- Hans was a busy, happy, sweet and fearless three year old when he was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma. He fought his disease like a "gladiator" for nearly 6 years. Hans was an animal lover to his core. He was 'guarded' at home by his three cats, Black, Orange and Cotton. He also had his Golden Retriever, Honey, to keep him company. Hans enjoyed swimming, biking, gardening, grilling (he had his very own grill!), horseback riding, playing video games, building Legos, and flipping between Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network and Animal Planet. Hans loved all members of his family and he was a loyal friend. He had to go through a lot of treatment in his life. But Hans powered through it. His attitude was let's get this done! His motivation was always to get back home, to his family, pets, favorite foods and pool.
1 comment:
Yeah, Hans!! You are such a champion!
Have fun at the ranch, take lots of pictures. Tell mom that you (and Elle) want to ride a pony or horse just like Eddie and Zippy!
Love, Grandma Kathy
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