Max's blood test yesterday was rough! When we are in Seattle at Children's, they draw his blood through his catheter. Here in Bellingham they have to poke him. The catheter is considered to be his life line. It allows the dialysis to happen, and it is a line straight to his heart. For this reason, it cannot be touched except by the trained Dialysis Nurses. So, we went to the local Lab to get his blood drawn. Let me say first that the Nurse who drew Max's blood was amazing! She was able to get blood on the first try without any help from Max. He started screaming when we got into the room, and he screamed loud. He scratched the nurse that came into help hold him down with me until he drew blood. The ironic part is that he later confided to a dear friend of the family that it only hurt a little bit. The anticipation must have been way worse!
Anyway, after all that, the blood tests were on the fence. They were not quite as great as the doctors had hoped for, but they weren't clearly bad enough to warrant Dialysis. The doctors called and asked me more questions. His blood pressure is the biggest topic of discussion lately. It also is higher than they'd like even with all the high blood pressure meds he is on. One of the things that has made this journey so interesting, is that there is not a clear line in the sand that determines when Max needs Dialysis or where we are in the progression of recovery. All of the numbers factor into the equation along with his overall feeling and his appetite. The doctors rely on Sam and me to add vital input into the treatment plan.
In the end, they decided that he did not need Dialysis!!! What a relief! So, Thursday we will go down for our first "Follow Up" visit, and we'll find out when he can get his line removed.
This has been a crazy journey...But I truly believe that God teaches us more in the hard parts of our journey, than we could ever learn in easy.
Thanks,
Shannon
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4 comments:
Praise God!
that is very good new. still praying for your family.
kristin
dvThank you Sam and Shannon for sharing this experience with us- we are all going through different seasons, but no matter how tough of a day your family has had you share with us your trust in God and that it is all to His Glory. It really puts so many things into perspective and is very encouraging. Although you may have started this blog because of your need for prayer, support and morale boosters, you have blessed many by your faithfulness. Thank you.
Hey Shan,
Your last statement is very wise. One of the statements by Billy Graham that I've always loved was, "God does not use you greatly until he has hurt you deeply." This must have been a tremendous hurt to go through, but in it God will allow you to minister to others in a way you couldn't before.
I'm glad to hear Max is doing better!
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