December 17, 2007 - scans but no results

Today we had two more tests, a CT of the chest, and an echocardiogram (to check Keira's heart). From Keira's perspective, today was so much more. At 6:30, we woke her up since we had to quit feeding her by 7 so she could have her CT. For about 15 minutes, all she could do was rub her eyes and say "bright". We finally succeeded in getting a few bites of oatmeal and some berries down her. Basically, we managed to wake her up early so instead of just being hungry, she would be hungry and tired. Don't try this one at home!

We arrived at Children's at 11am. Keira is beginning to recognize it, and only tolerates the place because it has trains. We took her to see the trains, which was a great hour, however at noon, we were called back to radiology. She immediately knew what was up, and quite understatedly voiced her displeasure. After a few minutes, it was as if she was resigned to her fate. She settled down and quietly watched Baby Einstein while other children cried around us. She managed to fall asleep, just in time for them to wake her up by starting her IV. Not a pleasant way to wake up! Keira's CT happened around 2, which in the grand scheme of things is fairly prompt. Up until this point, she'd really been a champ, but now we had to ask her to undergo yet another test.

We walked upstairs and checked into Cardiology and Jason went to grab some food for the hungry baby. We managed to get a roll into Keira before we got called back for her echo. Keep in mind that it is now 3:30, all she's had to eat is a roll, she's been up since 6:30 and hasn't had more than 10 minutes of a nap. She did amazingly well during the echo. She told them NO several times, but for the most part whimpered here and there and then let them do what they needed to. Once the technician said "OK we're finished" Keira all but clawed her way into Erin's arms. She had had enough. You know how when kids are upset they'll let out one cry and then there is that long pause while they work themselves up for the really big one? Keira's long pause lasted long enough for us to get all the way out of Cardiology and into the hallway before the cry came. She just wanted to make sure that we knew that she had been very good, but that was the last test she would tolerate for the day.

We left as quickly as we could to respect her wishes, but this means we don't have any results yet. We don't expect bad news, but we will rest easier once we know that our expectations are true. We will update as we know more. Next time you see Keira, let her know what a true trooper she is. She handled today much better than most adults I know would have.

Jason, Erin, and Keira Grace