Stephen's Journey: False Alarm

Friday, February 15, 2013

False Alarm

Good news! The repeat lab work we did the other day to confirm the dangerously low white blood cell count came back normal! Hallelujah! There must have been some sort of error in the way the original labs were drawn or how they were handled or within the lab to get such a crazy result. But it doesn't really after. All that matters is that the labs turned out to be fine!

We're still waiting on the repeat PD fluid culture from yesterday to confirm whether or not Stephen has peritonitis, but the doctor didn't seem too worries, so I'm not getting worried about it. I am however a bit concerned about the crazy diarrhea Stephen still has and the super low blood pressure he's had for the past 24 hours. Plus, he just seemed off today and was a bit lethargic. I'm just hoping that maybe he's got a little stomach bug and this will pass by the end of the weekend. So we're staying at home this weekend and taking it easy. Maybe a little haircut for Master Stephen and a ride on the choo choo at the mall. Can't wait to see his face when he sees a real live choo choo train!!

2 comments:

AnonymousFebruary 15, 2013 at 8:22 PM
Hi Lindsey,
Glad to read that things are on a positive note. Hope Stephen enjoys his choo choo ride at the mall and that all of you have a relaxing weekend.
Love,
Aunt LuAnn
ReplyDelete
Replies
AnonymousFebruary 16, 2013 at 4:51 PM
Thanks for the update. You deserved good news. Again, you are an amazing mother.
ReplyDelete
Replies

Add comment

Our Crazy Kidney Life

As many of you already know, our son Stephen, was born with a very rare kidney disease called Autosomal Recessive Polycystic Kidney Disease (ARPKD). When the disease was discovered during my 27th week of pregnancy, Stephen was given a less than 1% chance of living more than a few hours past birth. He was to have such severely underdeveloped lungs that the doctors said he would likely not even take one breath. However, on January 4, 2011, we were granted our 1st miracle - and Stephen came into this world crying (and breathing!) and fighting for his life with fierce determination. At 6 days old he had BOTH of his kidneys removed and began peritoneal dialysis. Stephen came home from the hospital when he was 59 days old requiring 12 hours of dialysis every night as well as enteral (feeding tube) feeds during the day and overnight.

On May 9, 2013, we were granted our 2nd miracle, in the form of a new kidney from an extremely generous friend. Stephen received a kidney from a non-related living donor at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. He spent 13 days in the hospital recovering from his big surgery and ever since has been living life the fullest! His life is still a delicate balance of medications and weekly lab work, but he's an extremely vibrant, loving, active 2.5 year old.

This blog is Stephen's journey told through my eyes (his mother's), thoughts, and emotions, with extreme highs and lows. But there's no way we would be where we are today without all of the support, thoughts and prayers from our family, friends, and readers! Thank you!!