More Tests

Jamie, Sean, and I met with the neurologist again yesterday after Sean gave two blood samples, a urine sample, and underwent an EEG. First, they took his weight. He is now 16 pounds and 6 ounces! Seeing as how most 3-6 month clothing fits children between 12-17 pounds, Sean seems to be growing like an adorable little weed! Then we went into the room to meet with the doctor. He told us that the first blood test showed abnormal results in liver function and ammonia levels; however, he believed the sample was contaminated because the second blood sample showed everything to be completely normal. So the good news is that all of Sean's organs are functioning properly. Also, his EEG came back normal, and the urine tests aren't back from the lab yet. In the urine, he's apparently testing for a particular stress hormone that the body releases when there are small tumors present in the area right behind the eye. They would be small enough that an MRI image wouldn't be able to pick it up. The doctor said he was pretty sure that Sean didn't have them. I don't know how he knew that without seeing the results of the test, but he seemed fairly confident. Now, the bad news is that he's still showing symptoms in his eyes about every 4 days, and we still can't find a definitive reason for it.

What does a doctor do when he orders tests and they all come back normal? He orders more tests! Sean is currently undergoing an at-home, 72-hour EEG in an effort to monitor his brain function during an eye episode. This will either confirm or rule out seizures as the cause of the awkward eye movements. An ongoing EEG means that Sean currently has 30 electrodes glued to his head and 2 on his chest. His entire head is wrapped in gauze in order to keep the electrodes in place, and all of the wires connect to a fanny pack which must be kept within an 8-inch radius of his head. To understate the situation, Sean is a little uncomfortable. Luckily, we caught a rather tedious episode last night, so Jamie is going take Sean to get the electrodes removed tomorrow.

Why don't I take him, you may ask. And you may even think that it's simply because I'm back to work. No. I actually have jury duty tomorrow. I'm going to try to play the breastfeeding card; we'll see if it works.

Anyway, regardless of the outcome of the EEG, we'll need to repeat the MRI to take another look at the size of the ventricles in the brain. If the ventricles continue to expand, we'll again need to look toward surgery to place a shunt. We are also in the process of being referred to a pediatric opthamologist. Hopefully, between one of these things, we'll find some answers and bring some relief to our son.