Hospital Stay

Holding a sleeping bubba during his EEG

Our Stay At Memorial Hermann

By the time we got to our room it was close to six on Tuesday so we knew we wouldn't be getting into MRI until the next day at the earliest. The first night was rough. They poked poor Isaiah. A lot. Between an inexperienced nurse, an incomplete list of what they needed, and a lab that let his blood sit for too long before testing it (TWICE), Isaiah got poked quite a bit. They actually had to have three nurses to do his I.V because he was moving and bending his arm so much. One thing we do know is Isaiah has great muscle tone. As in, he's already trying to roll over when he does inclined tummy time. Like I said, he's a strong one.

The next morning rolled around and as lunch time came we learned that Isaiah was not going to get into MRI that day. Someone at some point (things are a bit blurry) said something about the whole hospital being full? I'm not sure. But there was nothing we could do about it so we were definitely staying another night.

The blood draw they did came back as elevated for toxoplasmosis. We spoke to doctors from infectious disease, neurology, pediatrics, and ophthalmology. They told us along with the MRI they would be doing a few other tests including a lumbar puncture and EEG to make sure that all bases were covered. One of the doctors from our pediatrician's office came by thinking the MRI would have been done already. When she learned how long we had been waiting she sprinkled her magic MRI dust and got us scheduled for 8:30 the next morning. We knew this wasn't a guarantee but it was a lot better than hoping we would get in at some point. So we spent another night in the hospital (Wednesday night) with people waking us every few hours to check vitals and such. Hospitals are terrible places to sleep.

Thursday morning we walked down with Isaiah (it's a good thing they have a whole unit of transport people because that place is HUGE) to meet the anesthesiologist that would be monitoring him during the MRI, eye exam, and lumbar puncture. He was a blessing. Even though he was a bit eccentric (aren't we all) he got my cell phone number and personally texted me updates as Isaiah went through all his testing. I can't imagine having to sit in the room for the four or so hours it took not knowing anything that was going on. Isaiah did great. No complications. Came back up to the room and ate like a champ.

Not too long after, we spoke to the neurology team about Isaiah's MRI. Isaiah is missing brain tissue and has calcifications in his brain. The amazing thing about a developing brain is that it has the ability to compensate. We just don't know how badly his brain injuries will affect him. He could have some minor developmental delays or he could be mentally handicapped. This is something we are praying over.

The EEG was going to give us a picture of how his brain was handling the deficits so far. It would tell us if there were any extra electrical discharges going on. These extra charges can disrupt his learning, his sleeping, or cause seizures. Then we learned that since they didn't get the EEG scheduled before he went under sedation for the MRI we would have to wait until the next day to make sure the test wasn't skewed. Fortunately, we had an amazing nurse who bent the rules and brought a small crib in our room for Isaiah to sleep in (as opposed to on top of me). I learned I could have them take the vitals when Isaiah was already awake to eat. Instead of him eating, me getting him back to sleep and then 30 minutes later they wake him up to take his temperature. That night Isaiah slept six hours straight. Poor guy was worn out.

After a much better night of sleep for everyone we took Isaiah down for his EEG. He was not a fan. It involves using goop to stick 25 or so electrodes to his head. Once we were able to get things started Isaiah did great. Getting information while they're asleep is the most important and we were able to get Isaiah passed out pretty easily. The results from his EEG indicated two things. Slowing on the right side and extra electrical discharges. We were able to go ahead start some medication that should help with the extra discharges.

We were able to come home Friday evening after our extended stay in the hospital. It was definitely a whirlwind of information and tests. Overall, the prognosis is still up in the air. He's just so young, and the brain is so malleable, that we don't know how affected he'll be from the physical limitations he has. Please continue to pray that we rely on God during our decision making process as we move forward in Isaiah's treatment.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Toxo Fact: There is actually no correlation between cat ownership and being infected with toxoplasmosis, especially in indoor cats.