Unlike my other pregnancies where I had only the typical 5th month sonogram (boy or girl?) my pregnancy with Parker was filled with invasions of his privacy.
By far my favorites are the little black and white pictures taken early in Parker’s history where all you can see is a fuzzy blur. Yup, that was my kid moving around my womb at the speed of light, having way too much fun to hold still for a picture. I remember my OB telling me I was really going to have my hands full with this one.
Little did he know, eh?
It wasn’t until this bun became much more cramped in my oven that we got a picture of him being still.
Each time I looked at those pictures I found myself imagining a little spirit so happy to finally have their chance in a body that they couldn’t contain their excitement and instead spent their time dancing and rolling with joy.
Later on we’d catch sneak peaks of Parker floating on his back with his legs over his head….mooning us all. Now THAT, I thought, is a typical Hodson kid.
It makes me smile to think of it even now.
On Wednesday Parker underwent a colonoscopy, endoscopy, and had a BRAVO placed. We received a lot of excellent information from these tests.
First we discovered that Parker’s esophagus looks beautiful. Okay, the pictures are not for the faint of heart, but we were assured that in the world of medicine it was a thing of beauty. Eye of the beholder I guess.
Next we were shown a picture of Parker’s Nissen. While not as tight as it once was, it was determined that it was still intact enough to fulfill it’s duty to Parker.
The last pictures didn’t bring such great news. Parker’s entire bowel from top to bottom has ulcerative colitis. The pictures show little pin points of pus and severe inflammation. It’s been there a long time.
I just barely got off the phone with Parker’s GI and the plan of attack includes a month long round of steriods. Holy h*ll, aren’t we going to be having fun. Parker tends to put the rage in to ‘roid rage. sigh.
Another diagnosis. Another clinic to visit. Another issue to contend with. It’s enough to make a Mama feel kinda sorry for herself.
Then I remember the picture of the little blur on the screen, the one I imagine jumping for joy to finally be able to have his turn on earth.
I look over to this precious face. The one that starts each day with a giant smile. The kid that keeps getting back up each time he gets knocked down. The kid that inspires me to be more like he is each and every day. The same one who depends on me to not let him down.
I find myself thinking that one day I want to be as brave and strong as Parker is…… and today is a great place to begin.
About Tammy and Parker
You both are beautiful! Praying for you.
Aw man – that stinks!! I have Crohn’s disease (sister to Ulcerative Colitis) and wouldn’t wish it – or anything like it – on my worst enemy. So sorry for Parker, and happy you have some answers, though probably not what you wanted to hear. There’s a great blog – surprisingsweetness.blogspot.com – of a family with a little boy who has Ds and Crohn’s disease.
Glad to hear the esophagus looks so great! But darn about the UC
Having answers and a plan of attack is good though! Praying for this month-long time on steroids to go by quickly!
Twitter: kadiera
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Ugh. Just ugh.
Twitter: trishdoerrler
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I’m sorry to hear about the bad news on the colon and having to do the steroids. I can’t stand them myself, although now I am just on low level ones for my esophagus. Mine is allergy related though, so avoiding certain foods helps with the pain and some of the inflammation and I am just really careful what I eat so nothing has gotten stuck in a long time (knock on wood!)
Anyway, sorry to digress. I hope you find the right meds that clear things up without too much horribleness. Bless you guys!
Twitter: taradaramadeit
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Oy. Parker is such a strong little fighter and so are you. xo
Poor guy. I hope things heal up quickly for him. He’s been through so much.
All I can do is send a big cyber hug and continued thoughts and prayers! He is a fighter just like Sam, but at times I just wish these guys didn’t have to fight so hard. Sam’s diet and nutritional supplement program is kinda exhausting but we are seeing his ig (immune) numbers go up and his gut seems to be healing and handling things better along with his hip showing some regrowth. Parker just has been through so much more but you are an amazing Mom and you can do this too!! You have the hip high leather boots…mandatory wear for the Mom’s of the medically fragile children…pull em up a little higher and get ready to face this UC head on and your heart will learn to follow. I have faith in you Tammy!
That is a beautiful esophagus!
While I’m sorry that the diagnosis wasn’t what you’d hoped for, I am glad that you have some answers and a plan of action.
Hugs to you both.
Oh, man!! So sorry to hear about the bad news! I, too, have crohns…. totally understand the roid rage, too. They had me on high doses for two months… almost stopped being able to sleep. I hope Parker does well and they are able to only keep him on for a month!! Have they talked about what they are going to put him on in addition to the steroids? Any idea why they are calling it ulcerative collitis if it is his entire bowel?
Have they done any food allergy testing? My crohns has improved a lot since I found out and removed a bunch of the foods I’m allergic to. (beans, chicken, turkey just to name a few). Prayers for a speedy recovery and mild side effects!!
So sorry. Hoping for the best for you guys.