Tonsillectomy and More

In an effort to ameliorate his sleep apnea, Bertrand underwent surgery to remove his tonsils and adenoids today.  He also received dental and eye exams while under the general anesthesia.

(I am quite proud of this feat of medical scheduling!)

Bertrand is still sleeping off the anesthesia, but initial reports indicate that everything went well.  He will be monitored inpatient overnight as a precaution after the surgery.

Discussions with all 3 doctors were interesting.  Bertrand's teeth looked really good and his molars were sealed, as we expected/desired. His eyes were another story.  While we've been aggressive with lubrication, the corneal scarring is creeping up over the pupil.  Bertrand could go blind.

We will commence a steroid protocol for his eyes to help reduce the inflammation and (hopefully) the scarring.  We will also redouble our eye lubrication efforts.

Dental Check-up

Bertrand's dentist information because I am too lazy to upload a real photo tonight. Sorry!
Today, Bertrand had a dental check-up for the first time in a year. Since his last check-up under anesthesia, his tooth grinding seems to have improved slightly, but his teeth are still slowly wearing away, and he still won't let me brush his teeth with a regular tooth brush. Instead, I use a wet wash cloth twice a day to brush his teeth. So, I was a bit nervous about what the dentist was going to say.

However, the check-up went great! According to the dentist, Bertrand's teeth look really good, and it's very likely that Bertrand's tooth grinding may resolve with age, after he gets his adult teeth. Bertrand didn't even get upset with the exam (thank you, Elmo). The next time he is under anesthesia, the dentist want to do a thorough cleaning, but other than that he just said, "keep up the good work!"

Boy, do I wish all doctors appointment went that smoothly!

A good news day!

Bertrand calmly reads books with his Nana while waiting on the anesthesiologist.

Bertrand has been on the longest streak of good--or at least "not bad"--news that he's ever had! I've been "knocking on wood" all day. Thursday's procedures started with the easiest time Bertrand has ever spent NPO (Nil Per Os meaning without oral food and fluids). He went into sedation without any tantrums or issues.

His "dental restoration" consisted of x-rays, a cleaning, and getting his molars sealed. According to the dentist his teeth actually look great for a special needs kid! There was zero sign of nerve damage! In the future, any time that Bertrand is put under anesthesia, the dentist recommends another thorough dental exam and cleaning.

His esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) involved his gastroenterologist looking at his esophagus, stomach and part of the intestine along with a stomach biopsy. Everything looked "fantastic" according to the doctor (no ulcers or other visible damage) and the biopsy confirmed that everything is normal (no sign of celiac, allergies, or other issues)! Bertrand will stay on 15mg of prevacid for now and we will discuss removal again in a year.

Bertrand had blood drawn while he was sedated for his usual panels--Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP) & Complete Blood Count (CBC)--along with his Lamictal and Depakote levels. His CMP showed that... *drum roll* ALT was 72 (normal range 5-45) and AST was 58 (normal range 20-60)!!! Both of these values are the lowest Bertrand's liver values have EVER been and the AST is now in the NORMAL RANGE! Yippee!

Bertrand gets the CBC drawn mainly as a way of checking his platelets--if the liver isn't functioning well then platelet counts drop and one experiences difficulties clotting. Well, the test was invalid because his sample clotted, so I think that answers the question.

The last results to come in were the medication levels. Bertrand's lamictal levels still aren't back, but his depakote level was 28.3mcg/mL. Effective range for depakote is 50-125mcg/mL, which means that the depakote in his system (a dose of 125mg once a day) isn't high enough to see any effect yet! This is good news because we hadn't really seen any changes in him--seizures, mood, or otherwise--while on the depakote. We're keeping our fingers crossed to see what upping his depakote to 250mg per day does next week!

I hope the "good news" streak continues for Bertrand's genetics appointment on Monday! :)

Dance Sensation! And More Sedation...

I just HAD to share photos of Bertrand at his dance class today. He had such a blast! His wonderful aide, Ms. E, rigged up a special carpeted rolling platform just for him! He LOVED it. Bertrand was relaxed & compliant (allowing Ms. E to help him reach for the sky, touch his toes, clap his hands, etc.) for most of the class, and toward the end he really enjoyed shaking his bumble bee shaker. Look at his grin while he "buzzed"! Precious! :)

Bertrand also had a dental check-up today. His teeth aren't looking good. His bottom front teeth in particular are so ground down that there is big concern for the nerves. He may need caps added to those teeth to preserve them. Bertrand will have to undergo a more thorough dental exam, cleaning & x-rays UNDER SEDATION. Yes, most people go under general anesthesia maybe 4 times in their entire lives, but Bertrand? Four times in a little over 2 months?! Not cool. I put all my special needs mommy ninja skills to work this afternoon and managed to arrange his EGD & dental exam together.

This means I am wiped out! 9PM bedtime, here I come.

PS - Bertrand's eye is still improving. He needs another week's worth of antibiotics and has ANOTHER follow-up with the ophthalmologist next week. We'll both be happy if we never see a bottle of eye drops ever again.