Saturday, 30 April 2011
Zachary
Hi! So Wednesday we did the emerge thing, Calcium was low. We had to go in Thursday and Friday to check his calcium levels.....they are low and his PTH is low. He has been really tired and his tummy is hurting. It may sound crazy but I can't wait till Monday. We are hoping and praying that they will figure out his tummy problems and in doing so, find him some relief. We have to be at the Stollery at 6am. His OR time is scheduled for 8am. Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers, we truly have an amazing group of people supporting us......Thank you. Love Perry and Tanis
Thursday, 28 April 2011
Pepsi Proposal for The Stollery
The Stollery has put in a proposal to Pepsi. Its some sort of contest. Anyways you can check out the video proposal on utube. They used a picture of Zach, he's playing his I TOUCH. Its a cute picture.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNLbmjaaZo0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNLbmjaaZo0
Me and my auntie helper
Wednesday, 27 April 2011
Low Calcium...
So Zach has been "symptomatic" over the past few days. Today after school he did not look well and by 6pm we knew we had to take him into Emergency. We suspected that he has low calcium....and it is. Four points below the low normal range. So as usual, lots of Doctor head scratching. The Doc in emerge said he would call the endocrinologist on call. I laughed and said, "he will send us home". Much to the disbelief of the emerge doc....I was right! LOL! So, we are home. We will go back in tomorrow to see our Pediatrician. Zach also has that pre-op appointment as well. Zach is in bed, oxygen on and sound asleep. Nothing like 4 and a half hours in emerge to exhaust an already exhausted kid. I sound tired and grumpy. sorry....nighty night. Luv T
Monday, 25 April 2011
One week till testing.....
On May the 2nd, Zach will be sedated and admitted into the Stollery to have a bunch of tests done. There are 2 departments involved in the testing. Pulmonology (Respiratory) and G.I. (Gastro Intestinal). The Tests are:
Bronchoscopy A technique of visualizing the inside of the airways for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. An instrument (bronchoscope) is inserted into the airways, usually through the nose or mouth. This allows the doctor to examine the patient's airways for abnormalities such as foreign bodies, bleeding, tumors, or inflammation. Specimens may be taken from inside the lungs.
Gastroenterology In medicine (gastroenterology), esophagogastroduodenoscopy is a diagnostic endoscopic procedure that visualizes the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract up to the duodenum. It is considered a minimally invasive procedure since it does not require an incision into one of the major body cavities and does not require any significant recovery after the procedure (unless sedation or anesthesia has been used).
Colonoscopy Colonoscopy is the endoscopic examination of the colon and the distal part of the small bowel with a CCD camera or a fiber optic camera on a flexible tube passed through the anus. It may provide a visual diagnosis (e.g. ulceration, polyps) and grants the opportunity for biopsy or removal of suspected lesions.
PH Probe Esophageal pH (pH is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution) monitoring is a procedure for measuring the reflux (regurgitation or backwash) of acid from the stomach into the esophagus that occurs in gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Esophageal pH monitoring is used to diagnose GERD effects, to determine the effectiveness of medications that are given to prevent acid reflux, and to determine if episodes of acidic reflux are causing episodes of chest pain. Monitoring esophageal pH also can be used to determine if acid is reaching the pharynx (lower throat) and is possibly responsible for such symptoms as cough, hoarseness, and sore throat.
For the first 3 tests and the insertion of the PH probe Zach will be asleep. The PH probe will be in for 24 to 48 hours. He will be awake for the remainder of that test and we shall stay in hospital. Many of you are probably asking yourself, "why does he have to have this done". Let me explain....
Zach has had severe reflux all his life. He has been on adult doses of antacid since he was 5 months old. Not only does he reflux, but he also regurgitates. Kinda like a cow chewing her cud, however our bodies are not supposed to do that. Long term effects of GERD can really hurt your food tube and can cause cancer. So it needs to be checked.
Also, Zach is not sleeping. The sleep study in November showed that he moves 17 times an hour. They have increased his iron and put him on oxygen to try to fix this....it hasn't really helped. They believe his restless sleep (PLMD) is do to the regurgitation problem. The ph probe test will determine if their suspicions are right.
Zach has always had bowel problems, however they have increased over the past 10 months. We actually think Zach has lost the motility of his bowels. This is the reason for the colonoscopy as well as the biopsy's they will be taking.
HOWS ZACH? He is excited about going to sleep and getting to stay in the hospital. They have an X box there and he can't wait to play it! LOL!
HOWS MOM AND DAD? Well, not as excited as Zach. Zach doesn't typically handle sedation well. Lots of throwing up......not fun We have a pre-op appointment on Thursday (April 28th) so we are hoping they will have a better game plan then we've had in the past. It will not be good if he throws up the PH probe...we need the data it collects.
Thank you for continuing to pray for Zach. We are so grateful to have the love and concern from so many. Pray that the testing goes well. That we will get the information we need so that we can provide Zach with the best quality of care. Love T and P
Bronchoscopy A technique of visualizing the inside of the airways for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. An instrument (bronchoscope) is inserted into the airways, usually through the nose or mouth. This allows the doctor to examine the patient's airways for abnormalities such as foreign bodies, bleeding, tumors, or inflammation. Specimens may be taken from inside the lungs.
Gastroenterology In medicine (gastroenterology), esophagogastroduodenoscopy is a diagnostic endoscopic procedure that visualizes the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract up to the duodenum. It is considered a minimally invasive procedure since it does not require an incision into one of the major body cavities and does not require any significant recovery after the procedure (unless sedation or anesthesia has been used).
Colonoscopy Colonoscopy is the endoscopic examination of the colon and the distal part of the small bowel with a CCD camera or a fiber optic camera on a flexible tube passed through the anus. It may provide a visual diagnosis (e.g. ulceration, polyps) and grants the opportunity for biopsy or removal of suspected lesions.
PH Probe Esophageal pH (pH is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution) monitoring is a procedure for measuring the reflux (regurgitation or backwash) of acid from the stomach into the esophagus that occurs in gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Esophageal pH monitoring is used to diagnose GERD effects, to determine the effectiveness of medications that are given to prevent acid reflux, and to determine if episodes of acidic reflux are causing episodes of chest pain. Monitoring esophageal pH also can be used to determine if acid is reaching the pharynx (lower throat) and is possibly responsible for such symptoms as cough, hoarseness, and sore throat.
For the first 3 tests and the insertion of the PH probe Zach will be asleep. The PH probe will be in for 24 to 48 hours. He will be awake for the remainder of that test and we shall stay in hospital. Many of you are probably asking yourself, "why does he have to have this done". Let me explain....
Zach has had severe reflux all his life. He has been on adult doses of antacid since he was 5 months old. Not only does he reflux, but he also regurgitates. Kinda like a cow chewing her cud, however our bodies are not supposed to do that. Long term effects of GERD can really hurt your food tube and can cause cancer. So it needs to be checked.
Also, Zach is not sleeping. The sleep study in November showed that he moves 17 times an hour. They have increased his iron and put him on oxygen to try to fix this....it hasn't really helped. They believe his restless sleep (PLMD) is do to the regurgitation problem. The ph probe test will determine if their suspicions are right.
Zach has always had bowel problems, however they have increased over the past 10 months. We actually think Zach has lost the motility of his bowels. This is the reason for the colonoscopy as well as the biopsy's they will be taking.
HOWS ZACH? He is excited about going to sleep and getting to stay in the hospital. They have an X box there and he can't wait to play it! LOL!
HOWS MOM AND DAD? Well, not as excited as Zach. Zach doesn't typically handle sedation well. Lots of throwing up......not fun We have a pre-op appointment on Thursday (April 28th) so we are hoping they will have a better game plan then we've had in the past. It will not be good if he throws up the PH probe...we need the data it collects.
Thank you for continuing to pray for Zach. We are so grateful to have the love and concern from so many. Pray that the testing goes well. That we will get the information we need so that we can provide Zach with the best quality of care. Love T and P
Friday, 22 April 2011
June 1st 2011 International Hypoparathyroidism Day
World Hypoparathyroidism Awareness Day
| Worldwide | |
| 06/01/11 12:00 AM | |
| 06/02/11 12:00 AM | |
| The 1st Annual World Hypoparathyroidism Awareness Day will be celebrated on June 1, 2011. This day is a time for all those affected by hypoparathyroidism can come together to raise awareness of this rare medical disorder. | |
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