Hospital and Doctor Visits, Self Care, & Family Outing

Monday, July 12th, was a super busy day! Josh, Theo and I got up early and headed to the hospital in Peoria at 6:00 AM. We arrived just before 8:00 AM and got all checked in for Theo's appointments. We then waited until 9:40 AM for Theo to get called for his bloodwork. At this point I was sweating because Theo's ultrasound was scheduled for 9:00 AM and his visit with oncology and hematology at St Judes was scheduled for 10:00 AM. And I HATE being late! While Theo was getting his blood drawn I headed to the ultrasound area and waited in another long line. Finally Theo and Josh showed up and they started his ultrasound at 10:30 AM. 

[Theo did not like the cotton ball on his arm]

After the ultrasound we headed to the St Judes wing to see our friends there. I felt horrible. But they were so nice about it all because it wasn't our fault. But, still. While we waited to see the doctor, a guy came to our room and offered us food. He gave us hot dogs, fruit, and cookies while we waited. It was so nice! We then met with the doctor. She went through Theo's bloodwork results (the ones that were done) and everything looks normal. She then did her physical exam and noticed everything was good too. We still have to see our friends at St Judes every three months until Theo is seven, BUT Theo doesn't have to get his blood drawn anymore, just do the ultrasound and physical exam. YAY!

After St Judes we went on a 45 minute drive around town. Luckily, Theo fell asleep and had a pretty solid power nap. 

We then went and saw Dr. Steve (Ophthalmologist). He was very happy with how Theo is looking in his glasses and determined that, for now, these are the correct prescriptions for Theo. We will see him again in three months.

We then headed back to the hospital to see Dr. M with GI. Theo’s weight is 47 lb 6.4 ounces and he is 3’6. He’s a big boy. The doctor wants to decrease his calories SLIGHTLY. So, she is asked if it was okay for her to talk to Theo's Dietitian to come up with a plan. Of course that was fine and after they talked the determined that we are going to decrease Theo's calories just a bit and see how he does. We want Theo at a healthy weight, so having him hit a plateau is a good thing right now.

On our way home we got a call from Oncology informing us that the rest of Theo's bloodwork came back normal and his ultrasound was also normal. 

On Tuesday, July 13th, Theo went to OT and I finally went to the dermatologist. I've had a cyst on my back for a long time and I'm finally going to get it removed next month. The doctor also did a full body check and she didn't see anything concerning. Good news!

Our cleaning ladies came that afternoon so Theo and I went for a drive and then we met Josh at Costco. It was nice to take Theo to Costco. I don't think he's been in a LONG time. Good thing he likes to be in his wheelchair!

On Wednesday, July 14th, I had a Zoom with Theo's dietitian and we went over Theo's calories and his new feeding amounts. We are taking him from 24 ounces of Kate Farms a day to 21 ounces. It's not a huge amount, but it should stop him from gaining weight for a few months. That afternoon we saw Theo's PT and his feeding therapist.

We've been focusing on "food play" for a long time. Since Theo is comfortable with playing with food, we thought it would be a good time to get a wee more aggressive. I bought him two Honey Bear Straw Cups, so we are going to give them a try.

[Honey Bear Straw Cups]

On Friday, July 16th, I went and got my eyebrows waxed. I haven't had anyone touch them since December of 2019! The esthetician was very excited to take care of my "quarantine brows" and asked if she could record it for her IG 🤷‍♀️🤣

[I think they look pretty good!]

 On Saturday, July 17th, Theo, Josh, and I went to the White Willow Farmers Market. They only have it once a month and there were a lot of people there selling their goods! We got some wax, jerky, cookies, strawberry & rhubarb pie (for Josh), and bread. After the market we went to Verizon so Josh could pick up his new phone! He upgraded from an iPhone 7 to a 12 Max Pro. He's pretty excited!

Theo and I have been watching the Tour de France very religiously this year. Today, July 18th, was Stage 21 and it was fun to watch as the racers entered Paris and fight to cross the finish line first. Tadej Pogačar took the Yellow, White, and KOM jerseys (second year in a row), while Mark Cavendish won the green jersey. Congrats to all the racers!

[Man bun in the making!]

Theo likes to scoot off of his mat, but then he gets stuck. Sorry, kiddo! You gotta get back on yourself!

[Trying to motivate him with his ball]

[More bad records broken]

I'm very proud of us this week. We got out of the house multiple times for activities other than doctors or therapy appointments. I just need to be brave and know that it's okay if things don't go exactly as planned.