Medical Update

 It is rare that I post more than one update in a week (unless one of the kids is in the hospital), but I owe a medical update!

I'll start with Alex because for the first time ever, I really have nothing to update!!! Alex continues to do amazingly well and for that I am so grateful.

Bruce had his six month scans and labs in late December. His labs, specifically those looking at markers for colon cancer, were normal! The spots on his lungs and pancreas were stable so that was all good news. Unfortunately, the spot we are watching on his kidney has increased in size. He had an MRI today to get a better look and he will see the urology/oncology specialist in a few weeks to determine if any further treatment or intervention is necessary at this time. His oncologist also asked to see him back in 4 months instead of 6 as a precautionary measure.

Ms. Maddy Moo has had a busy month medically. She had an endoscopy and colonoscopy several days before Christmas to try and figure out her increased stomach pain. Visually everything looked great, however, the biopsies came back with some abnormal results. We all have four enzymes our bodies make to break down all sugars and starches. In the past, Maddy's results showed she was deficient in 2 out of the four. This time she was deficient in 3 and the 2 we knew about were even lower in level. Unfortunately, there isn't a whole lot we can do. There is a replacement for one of the enzymes. (Thank you lord for insurance! It costs $7500/month out of pocket). The only other way to "treat" is with a ridiculously strict diet which would be hard for most adults and virtually impossible for a child. Think no carbs including most fruits and vegetables. Brussel sprouts and Cabbage are okay!😛 

On top of that we completed three days of Audiology testing. Maddy was diagnosed with an Auditory processing disorder.  In simple terms, Auditory Processing Disorder is where your ears are fine, but your central nervous system doesn't use the information correctly so you can't "hear" or process the information. It is a lot of information and I am still learning everything, but Maddy will be doing some therapy to try and retrain her brain. Unfortunately, if the APD is caused by medical causes (as opposed to ADHD or Autism ) which is likely in Maddy's case ,the therapy may not help. If the therapy doesn't help or if she starts to struggle in school we will add Hearing Aids to help, but we want to take a non-invasive approach first.

Finally, today we saw a new neurologist to address her headaches, lightheadedness and multiple problems on her left side. We were really happy with the doctor and she was extremely thorough. She feels pretty sure that Maddy's headaches are actually migraines and may actually be contributing to her lightheaded episodes along with her dysautonomia. We are going to try a vitamin supplement for a month to see if that helps. If not we will be adding a migraine medication. The final issue we addressed was the fact that we have a number of problems that are worse on her left side. Upon exam there was definitely left sided weakness so she has ordered a brain and spine MRI to ensure that we aren't missing anything.

I ask that you join me in praying for Alex's continued health, Bruce's MRI results and for little Maddy. It is a lot for her to try and handle all of these appointments and therapies and discussions and not have increased anxiety. Not to mention not feeling great at times. 

Ali