Hopeful

Well, we got back from our little trip. Now, I'll have to admit that I am a little skeptical. It's just so different from anything that I have ever seen. The Doctor told us that Sam has a part of his brain that is not formed properly and that it is affecting most of his systems. He also asked me to hold off treating him with any growth hormones until I give it a chance. He gave me 2 different bottles of stuff to give him 3x a day. I was pretty taken back when the receptionist goes, "Oh honey! I see why you were so worried about him. He looks terrible! Oh no!Have you seen a geneticist?" I don't know how I was supposed to take that? By how it sounded, I thought I might be too late. She was very nice though. The doctor also informed me that I had a strep infection in my brain. Or as my mother-in-law thought he said was stress in the brain.:) Yes ! I do have that for sure.:) I am very hopeful that this works.

Kings Mountain and New Years Resolutions

Today, Jeff, myself, and the kids are going to Kings Mountain to take Sam to the Doctor. This is a doctor that specializes in natural medicines. Please pray that we will be given a course of direction for Sam. We are excited about this because the lady we talked to assured us that they would be able to help. That makes such a great impression. She didn't say,"We might be able to or we'll try." We love to hear,"We will help!"
Now, I do have alot of faults, but one thing that I normally have is patience. Well, not today. Sam had labs drawn on him 2 weeks ago. The doctor was very concerned about Sam and gave me a couple of scenarios of things that could be wrong with Sam. These were not normally things that you want to think about your son having to deal with. Knowing that, he assured us that we would get the results in a week at the latest. While I was in the office, the Doctor also told me that he had just gotten off the phone with a very angry mother. He said that she was upset that she had gotten the bill for her child's appointment but had not seen or heard about any of his test results. He then told me that it was his New Years Resolution that he would do better with doing that. This made me a little nervous but what can you do with the fact that that he is the only specialist in our area? AND, surely since he told me about this, he would not do the same to me. Right? Well, I called the office today and they told me that the results were in last week, but that he had been off for a couple of days. Then, I asked if he could read them today and they told me that he was off today,too. They also told me that he is very behind and may not get to them tomorrow. No one else can read the results. Now if someone make ridiculous amounts of money can they not go to work and get their job done? Or hire some extra help? Not to mention how unwarm their office seems to be. There are signs that remind you to bring no other children to the office, do not call the office for results,do not be late. The office kind of gives off the feel "No soup for you!"(Seinfield) I know that this is alot of venting but one of my purposes of this website is to journal every ordeal we face with Sam. That way, I can help some one else in a similar situation. Let's just say that I will not be referring this Doctor to anyone. AND...my New Years resolution is to no longer see mediocre doctors and to find the very best ones in this country. No matter what!!!!!!!

Still waiting

WE are still waiting to hear from Sam's tests and will post as soon as we know anything. We did call the Doctor in Kings Mountain that specializes in alternative medicine. I think that I spoke to his wife. She told us that she would put Sam on the top of the waiting list and as soon as they get a cancellation she would give us a call. She said that she felt that they would be able to help us. I hope so. Sam is still working on balancing while standing up. He is still pretty reluctant to do this, but as soon as he accomplishes this, he should be walking soon after. We love you guys and are thankful for each of your prayers.

Sam's Tests

On Thursday, I took Sam to the endocrinologist. He was weighed and measured and he didn't seem to gain in height or weight. Dr. Parker did the blood tests himself and got it the first time. This is such a rare occurrence. I was so excited that he only had to it once. I'm sure that Sam was as well. We are now waiting to hear from the tests. He said it could be a week, but that he would let us know as soon as possible. He suspected that Sam has low growth hormone and that he would probably need to be given this. I am trying to research this and did find out that this can some times happen after surgeries. I need to research if there are any risks to giving this hormone. If anyone has any information about this, Please send it our way. We are also trying to get him to an alternative doctor that Papa and Gramma Robinson have referred us to. Our pediatrician has said that the cardiologist wants to see us back if these tests come back normal. He does not think that the PDA would be the cause of this but he may need to take further action if necessary. Please continue to pray for Sam. He seems to get worn out so easily lately. I am hoping that he is just coming down with something. It is so hard not to worry about every little symptom he has. Hopefully, we'll get a diagnosis soon and Mommy can quit being a worryer(is that a word?:) I love you guys and am so thankful for your prayers!

Update

Sam's pediatrician called Jeff yesterday afternoon and told us that he would contact all of Sam's doctors and coordinate every ones opinions on what is the next step to take. We are so grateful for that. It is so hard to update every doctor on what all of the other doctors are saying. I think this is a great move in the right direction. Please continue praying for him. He has been increasingly thirsty and hungry all of the time as well as sweating terribly. We will be seeing the endocrinologist tomorrow morning. He will be running several blood tests. No one seems to be able to take his blood, but I'm praying that they will get it the first time.
Sam's speech therapist, Ms. Erin, said that Sam has made a 180 turn in communicating in the past month. He is so funny about how he signs that he wants to drink. He waves his hand in front of his nose as if telling people that something stinks. We've got to fix this before he offends some one.:)

P.S. I know that Sam's hair is getting a little long. Please, could some one let Jeff know? I think he is living his dream through Sam's hair.:)

Physical Therapy

This week we are working on Sam standing up by himself for small amounts of time. He is still pretty scared of anyone letting go but is doing much better walking while holding on with only one hand. His therapist thinks that he will be walking soon. We can't wait to be able to post about that.

Ear Doctor

Yesterday, we took Sam to the ear specialist, Dr.Sicard. He told us that Sam had such a bad ear infection that he could not conduct the hearing test until it cleared up. It is so hard to know when Sam has an ear infection because he does not get very fussy. He will see him back in 2 weeks. He also told us that Sam would need to have his tubes removed and new ones put in and we will discuss that when we come back in. We will be seeing the endocrinologist next week and the plastic surgeon the following week. PLease pray that we will find out what is causing his lack of growth and his delays. He is doing so well with his speech therapy, especially with his signing. He is much less frustrated now that he can communicate with everyone better. We are so thankful to have wonderful therapists to work with him. He is still pretty fearful to take any steps without help. We are hoping that he will be walking soon.

The Happiest Boy in Town

Sam is beginning to show signs of being the ham of the family. Yep, I thought Luke had it in the bag but as Sam is learning to communicate he is slowly taking the crown for hamminess(is that a word?) On Thursday, while Luke and Susanna were at preschool Sam, Eli, and I ventured out to Target. Eli sat in the front of the cart while Sam was standing in the back. (this was the first time he had ever figured out that he could stand up in the cart) He was so proud of himself and wanted everyone to notice his accomplishment. He didn't seem to realize that this is a fairly normal thing for 2 year olds. Well, in order to get everyone's attention, he would yell hi and wave to them. Now, I know that you are probably picturing a little boy speaking in a sweet soft little voice but no, not Sam. He was yelling at the top of his lungs HIIII!!! Most customers would offer us a nice smile and be on their way. But there were some who seemed to think that maybe if I don't look this little kid will shut up. But not our dear Sam. He yelled louder and louder until everyone who crossed paths with him would acknowledge him. Once he had their attention, he would continually say hi and the poor customers didn't know when and if they could walk away. At first this was pretty amusing but soon became hilarious seeing all of the customers duck away as we approached near them. It turned out to be a great way of having the aisles to ourselves.:)


Jeff and I decided to try and do this blog thing so that we can keep track of his progress and to keep all of Sam's friends and family updated on his progress. Thank you so much for your prayers. God is doing an amazing work in Sam. That is one thing that we are sure of. Sam will see his ear specialist tomorrow afternoon. His ear has been bleeding a little and they will also be testing his hearing once again. We love you guys.