a bit of rambling

Thursday.





Already.





So much on the go today.





Aarica's at home this morning. Obsessing. Asking the same questions over and over.



Her routine has been compromised so she's got a little anxiety going on.



She's stressing (rightfully so) about the blood test she has to take this morning. She hasn't had blood drawn in many many years - and she sure doesn't remember the last time - even though I do. It's vivid in my memory (which isn't that good so it really is a strong memory). The one and only time she's had blood drawn was for a series of genetic tests done way back when she was about 3. I remember holding this screaming, non-verbal child who was terrified and had no clue what all these people were doing to her.



She's even more stressed though by the fact that she can't eat. This blood work is a 12 hour fasting blood sugar test and even though she's normally in bed before 10:30pm (the time her 12 hour fast started) she was repeatedly asking about it last night before bed and then again this morning she's going through the same questions....."no milk?" no. "no toast?" no. "no coffee?" no....and you can't have that anyway so why ask about that one.


The crazy thing is our usual morning conversations are more in the opposite direction with us telling her she needs to eat something, anything. Most times she won't and other than drinking milk she rarely has anything at all except the occasional granola bar (and absolutely refuses to take a lunch....cuz she's in highschool you know and that's just not cool. If she can't buy it at the cafeteria she doesn't want it).


One more hour and then we can get this blood work done and then for sure she will want to eat - just for the sake of eatting - because this is the kid that won't eat breakfast and refuses to take a lunch unless it's in the form of money.


She also has an EKG scheduled. She's not too concerned about that one. I've explained about all the sticky tape they will place on her chest and arms and legs (i've been through enough of them with my mom in the last 8 months to know exactly how this test goes) and the tricky part will be her lying completely still for the entire minute and a half it takes for the machine to do its' thing. Being quiet and still is not what Aarica does best.

Thinking of this takes me back to the time Aarica had her hearing tests done (funny how the traumatic things stick in your mind) and oh was it traumatic. She was about 7 years old and still pretty much non-verbal and incapable of sitting still for 30 seconds and they wanted her to lay perfectly still and quiet for approximately 20minutes (as if!) while the computer recorded how her brain reacted to noises fed into her ears. Add to this the tech doing the test totally stuck his foot in his mouth and she panicked. Really panicked (is that spelled correctly?).

He said " I'm just going to glue these leads to your head."

That's it.

Simple sentence....well aside from the fact that he'd also been trying to explain what he would be doing to her in technical lingo that went over MY head but that's besides the point.

That one sentence, to a child with limited (very limited) verbal skills, and took everything so literally back then (still does to an extent....sarcasm is totally lost on her) thought he was going to permanently stick those wires to her head. OH the tears and trauma that resulted.

So we have this terrified, crying child that now has to lay still for 20 minutes. It didn't happen and 2 hours later we rescheduled for a couple weeks later. 2 - 60minute trips into the city and 3.5hours of testing later we had the results of this test. Moderate/severe hearing loss in one ear - congenital in nature - the nerves between her ear & brain didn't quite connect from the get-go.



Oddly enough, the same guy tested Emily's hearing a couple weeks after she was born and Owen when he was two and the tests were easy peasy and took 20 minutes tops and he didnt' freak any of my other children out. Of course Emily was only 2 weeks old and alseep in her carseat the whole time and didn't even flinch. Technology rocks. If only this hearing screening was routine for all newborns - imagine how few would slip through the cracks like Aarica did almost 17 yrs ago (yes...THAT's how old she's going to be in May!)

oppps......got way off track there didn't I.



Back to today.

Thursday. (and btw - this was supposed to have posted while I was at Aarica's appointment but dial-up was being snarky and it didn't go through.....so now I'm back and finishing up this post.)


How did it go?


Easy Peasy-ish.


The hardest parts of the whole thing was the waiting.

"I don't want to do this" but you have to.

"why do I have to have tests" to make sure the meds you are taking aren't doing funky things to your body.

"but i don't want to" sorry but you have to.

"it's going to hurt & i'm not doing it" it's going to be fine and yes you are.

"when can i eat?" when we are done here

"i don't want to do this" (even as she's sitting in the chair in the lab)

"you aren't going to jab my arm are you?" no but you can't move your arm at all

"i don't want to do this"

And in 20 seconds it was over and the most painful part was answering all the questions before, during and after.

And then we waited for the EKG.....and waited.....and guess what....answered more questions.

"How many tests again?" two - the blood which you've already done and the heart which is next

"And then I can eat?" yes

"but I don't want to do anymore tests." you are almost done and the next one is easy

" how many more?" only one more and it's easy. You just have to lay there and be quiet (if that's remotely possible) and not ask questions.

"but this is stupid. i don't need these tests" yes you do

"what will they do again" put little stickers on you and clip wires to them and the computer does all the work. you just have to lay STILL and NOT TALK.

"when can I eat" ugh...when we are done. where the heck is that tech?

and then.....to mortify her even more she had to put on a gown.

"why do i have to wear this" so they can put the stickers on you.

"do i really have to take my bra off too?" oh for pete's sake yes!

"how long is this going to take" 5 mintues if you cooperate. longer if you don't.

"i don't really want to do this" so i've heard.

and then it was over.

easy peasy....except for the questions.
oh and i did sneak a peek at the printout - *normal sinus rythmn; borderline left axis deviation* and i don't have a clue what that means, but it sure would have been nice to have a baseline EKG done before starting these meds to compare to this one huh.....but what do i know.

I need a drink now and they should probably hook me up to one of those EKG machines cuz I'm sure the print out would be freakin amazing!

"can we go to Subway now?" yes

dont' even get me started on the questions THAT involved.

"what kind of bread would you like that on?" ...............ARGH!!!!


Aarica could SO work at Subway. She LOVES to ask questions!

~K