Bronwyn came flying in the door tonight, smiling ear to ear and talking non-stop. Apparently she had a good day, even if it did include driving over 5 hours just in order to see a doctor. Daniel was able to take advantage of their time together and make it special.
As of right now, the most likely diagnosis is that Bronwyn has juvenile rheumatoid nodules. In this case, there is nothing that needs to be done besides letting it run its course, which I guess can take years. The doctor did tell Daniel that it in no way means Bronwyn has or will have rheumatoid arthritis, which is comforting.
However, there isn't a totally concrete way to diagnose and be absolutely certain Bronwyn simply has juvenile rheumatoid nodules. They must still rule more serious things out, so Bronwyn will need to have a biopsy done on one of the nodules. Unfortunately, this means another trip to Syracuse in a few weeks. Even more unfortunately, it means general anesthesia. (I know, I'm not entirely sure why they have to put her completely out in order to cut her foot and remove a nodule either... I will definitely be inquiring further about this!)
As far as Bronwyn's concerned, another trip to the doctor will be loads of fun. After all, she gets to eat at T@co Bell and Daddy buys her new dress-up shoes!
That's a good report! l would guess the doctor considers general anesthesia would be less traumatic for Bronwyn as she wouldn't be watching the whole procedure.
ReplyDeleteWhy wouldn't daddy take his Princess out to TB?
ReplyDeleteAfter all, isn't that how he won over his Queen?
Syracuse seems so far. I remember frequent trips to visit Dr. Cady once we found Riley's hip problem. Now Dr. Cady travels up here to do a clinic in Canton once each month. That is such a great idea...wish more docs would consider doing this...
I'm very blessed to hear that the DR thinks this is nothing serious. I will be praying for the biopsy. It's great that Bronwyn didn't mind the drive! It's also good that you are making these extra trips in the summer while Daniel has a little extra time and while you don't need to be concerned about snow. I'm continuing to pray. I'm looking forward to seeing you, Aubrey and Daniel this weekend!
ReplyDeleteAnxious to hear out it all plays out. I am sure it is nothing, like the Dr. is thinking. It is so easy to get ourselves worked up over nothing! So happy to hear her and daddy got some special time together. She will remember times like these forever (and the foot thing she'll foget!)
ReplyDeleteHi Brietta- It is Rebecca, Ryan's sister, posting here... You may know that I am a Child Life Specialist and work(ed) with children facing hospitalization and illness in Boston & Maine. I read your question regarding general anesthesia and Bronwyn's biopsy... Here's my experience... In general, some physicians and medical centers do put young children to sleep during these procedures because it is crucial that they stay still and many don't have the time to adequetly prepare children for procedures...and ultimately, allow them them the opportunity to try being calm and still during the biopsy. In the medical community, it is generally percieved that young children may not have the ability to stay still and may also be very frightened by the needles, Operating Rooms and scalpels that are needed. However, as we know as parents and I have seen in my practice, this is widely not the case and guiding a child through the experience can empower them and give them a sense of accomplishment and understanding helpful in future medical interventions. With adequate preparation, many parents (you know your child best) feel that their child can handle staying awake or may advocate for mild sedation as opposed to general. If it were Camryn, I would want to try preparing her (teaching her about the procedure; letting her know exactly what to expect-- what she will see, hear, smell, showing her the tools used or photos of them) by getting as much information from the medical team as possible. I would also give her coping strategies (deep breathing, looking at bubbles, reciting a story together, etc) to get her through the procedure. I would opt for the general anesthesia if it seemed that after preparing her for such a thing, she would be too traumatized to complete it. However, as a parent and because I have seen so much success with kids, I would advocate to try it without the drugs first. Many drugs (such as Versed) keep the patient mildly sedated and also have an amnestic effect-- this could be one other option. I am not speaking from experience with your medical center specifically but if they deal with children a lot, they would likely allow for this if pressed by an advocating parent. You may also see if there is a Child Life Specialist on staff that can help with tips specific to preparing her for this or any procedure. I hope this helps and feel free to contact me if you have any questions I may help with! I hope it all goes well. Take care, Rebecca
ReplyDelete