More Reason To Worry

Before Eli's appointment we kept praying that the Ear, Nose, and Throat Specialist would be able to find out what's wrong with him and know how to treat him. So I guess I can say that it went well in that regard. The news we got was a little shocking. After telling the ENT specialist everything that has been bothering me about Eli he stuck some tubes down his nose to make sure the airways worked. Then, upon hearing his cry, decided to have a look into his throat. A nurse came in and helped me hold the poor little wailing, (if you could call it that) baby. He looked down and stated, "Yes, he has vocal cord paralysis". I gasped, "What!?" He then asked me if Eli had been intubated (tubes stuck down his throat), had a tramatic birth, or had any other procedures, to which I answered no. He then said, "hold on a minute." I could hear him right when he got outside the door say, "Page Dr. So and So right away." He left me in the room for what I considered a long time, and I got thinking about Eli never having a normal voice and how hard this would be for him and I just started bawling. After I composed myself he came back in the room and continued telling me that his left vocal cord is not moving. I asked if it could heal and he said he didn't know because he did not know what was causing it. So then he told me that Eli would need to have a brain MRI to check for hydrocephaly (water on the brain) or other brain abnormalities. He also said he'd have to be put under so he wanted us to take him to Primary Childrens. Then came the tears again. He just seems way too little to be put under! So his receptionist called to make the appointment and they were completely booked until mid-July. She was telling them that it was not soon enough but there was nothing they could do. After I left, she called to say they would fit him in next Friday!

After his appointment I was talking to Rory and telling him everything the Doctor and I had talked about and the subject of intubating came up. Rory told me that Eli was intubated at least 3 times! It was right after he was born and I guess I was out of it or something. I guess sometimes when that happens they can actually hit the vocal cord and cause the paralysis. I know this is horrible, but I really hope this is the case. If it is, then there is a good chance it will heal itself, and if not there is a surgery that can repair it somewhat. I guess David Archuleta had this when he was younger, and look at him now! While these are excellent reasons the main reason I really want it to be caused by this is because the other option is that it could be caused by a brain tumor. Hence the MRI.

I did not know that one of the functions of the vocal cords is to block fluid from entering into the lungs. This explains his hard time eating, breathing sometimes, etc. For this reason they had us take him to get his chest X-rayed. Our week has been crazy especially yesterday. Rory and Kaemon have both been very sick, Rory has been going to school every night so I feel like a single mom, and just the worry about Eli. I decided today the boys and I were just going to stay home and rest all day. But I got a call from the nurse saying I needed to get Eli in right away because it was likely that he had pneumonia. So I had to load them up, lug them both into the hospital to get a copy of the X-ray, and while I was there a nun yelled in the meanest voice, "slow down! He can' t keep up with you!" referring to Kaemon. If only she knew he prefers to run! I also had to wait by this old couple who were obviously hard of hearing because they were discussing with eachother why I had two babies so close together like I was not even there. Anyway, it turns out he does not have pneumonia, YAY! And after consulting with his Pediatrician, Dr. Pruitt, he feels very confident that it was the intubation that would have caused the paralysis. But obviously we are going to have the MRI done just to make sure. Other than all this Eli is perfectly healthy! He is turning into a little chubster. He is such a special little baby. I have met a ton of people the past couple of days and so many of them told me how sweet he is and that he just has a sweet presence. I guess we will just take it one step at a time. He had a blessing before his appointment that said through time and medical help that he would fully recover, and I truly believe that he will.