Whirwind - Torando - Whirlwind

Well we are back home and have to say a BIG THANKS to Karl and Andrea for everything while we were out on an adventure.

Brayson is doing better but is still not back to 100%. He has Chasal Stenosis. In short, the middle part of his nose canal is to narrow which prohibits him to take in air. He can breath but not as well as you or I. He has to struggle to get air in and out.

Our adventure with this problem started at birth but everyone though it was just congestion even from the start. So we went to the ER expecting to be sent home again with the dignosis of congestion, but we found out something else. Brayson was a trooper and did wonderful with the CT scan and xrays. The IV was one of the hardest parts for him and for me. Although I think the hardest part was that they put him NPO which means that he could not eat - he was really hungry and there was nothing I could do. Finally after over 12 hours they decided that it would be okay to feed him. I was very thankful for that.

The ENT (Ears, Nose, and Troat) doctor here refered us to Iowa city to a ENT specialist there. We were able to travel via our own car because they had given him enough meds to keep him breathing well. We were thankful for that, I was really not looking forward to the trip in the ambulance.

Long story short we finally got the see the Pediatric Otolaryngolist around 3 pm after about a hour and half with she and her staff and a camera scope down Brayson's nose and into his troat they decided that his case was worse than they orginally thought here in Des Moines. They gave us a lot of options as to how to proceed and we asked as many questions as you can think to ask after a 24 hour ordeal and information overload. So we more or less let them make the decisions that they thought were best for Brayson and we trusted their decisions.

We were able to come home last night after the visit (although they did offer us another overnight stay and we politely turned it down and came home). The doctors there and here also were very professional and great to work with. In the office the main doctor and two residents and two nurses were in the room the whole time to help with the procedure and anything else.

The plan at this point is that we will take 4 days worth of steroids, 9 days worth of an antibotic, 30 days worth of an anti-reflux med, and a nose spray up to 6 times a day as needed. This is a lot of medicine for a little boy but they want to make sure that the surgery is REALLY needed before they go in and start doing something that in time may correct itself. The concern comes in when we look at Brayson and how fast he is growing and if he can keep up with where is needs to be in the condition he is in.

I really appreciate the fact that once we got there they did not jump into surgery right away (even if that is what we were told before we left). It was a little peace of mind to have time to stop and process everything we have been told and gone through before another major thing. The steroids really help him breath A LOT better but they have a long term effect that is not good, so while it will help him for a little while it is not the cure all for the situation.

So, I am going to stop rambeling. We will take all our medicine and see how well Brayson grows in two weeks. We want to make sure that he is gaining weight at a good speed and is breathing without a lot of work.

Nursing has been an issue with Brayson and I from the start and now we know why we were having so much trouble - HE CAN'T BREATH. So for now, I will continue to pump and feed him bottles so he can get the air he needs and I don't have to worry about what I am doing wrong.

Thanks a million for all the prayers, calls, and notes of concern. We will keep you posted on our progress and get some pictures of these boys out there.

Spell check is still not working and I am to lazy to check this right now so please forgive my spelling.