As many of you know, Hannah has not been feeling good for quite some time. Her tummy hurts just about every day and mostly all day long.
We have done blood tests.
They have all been negative.
We have taken her off dairy and off of wheat. It seems to be a bit better, but her tummy still hurts.
So we went to see a specialist at UCSF. He is one of the best on the west coast.
We put her back on wheat so that we could get a biopsy done for Celiac disease. A biopsy is one of the only definitive tests since it looks directly at the lining of the intestine. One with Celiac disease has damage to the intestine from the wheat. It actually destroys the cilia which absorbs nutrients. They were also going to look for signs of a dairy allergy.
So Hannah and I were up and ready to go early on Tuesday for her biopsy at UCSF. She was all dressed up in her cute outfit that Nana Laurie had gotten her the day before.
We had to be there by 10am. Her procedure time was noon. So we left by 7:30am just to make sure we were there in good time. We arrived in San Francisco at 8:30 and so went to Golden Gate Park for a little while. It was fun to walk around the lake and climb all over the trees. Anything to take Hannah's mind off her hungry tummy and what was coming.
Hannah found a squirrel that she was watching.
Every one at UCSF was so awesome. They were patient with Hannah when she was scared. She loved the fun craft that they had prepared. She colored while I read to her. Then she watched Beauty and the Beast. The procedure was later than we had expected and she wasn't taken up to preop until a little before 1.
My little one is very nervous in unfamiliar situations. She didn't want to take off her cute outfit or put on the hat, gown and socks. It took some convincing, but then she did it. After seeing how upset Hannah was at the thought of not having me hold her, they let me go with her to the OR. I was so glad that they put her to sleep before starting the IV or anything else. It took only 3 good cries with the mask on her face to help her go to sleep. They took over and I got to go eat.
I love this picture. She is so cute!!
I was so thankful that they allowed me to be by her side as soon as she was in recovery. We allowed her to wake up on her own. This is my little one sound asleep after all was over. I held her as she coughed and cried and kicked. (she didn't wake up easily from the sedation) I held her for an hour and she ate purple popsicles. They had put on Sponge Bob for her. We don't allow that show in our house. Even though her throat hurt and she was really out of it she said, "I'm not allowed to watch that." We turned it off and put on Beauty and the Beast. Once she was awake and calm, it was time to take out the IV and get dressed. She didn't want the IV out since we would have to take the tape off. After another little struggle, it was out and she was dressed and ready to go. At the elevator she looked at me and said, "I don't want to come back here ever again!!!" I don't blame her.
We had to wait until the following Monday to hear from the doctor.
So I waited all day Monday for a call. Then waited most of Tuesday. The doctor called around 7. He never got the latest lab results drawn here in Santa Rosa. I'm going to call them tomorrow to get them to send the results to him ASAP. All the biopsy's they did on Hannah are normal. She does not have Celiac disease or any problems with dairy. That is good. Two things ruled out.
He is recommending another test to look at her entire intestine, not just the top and bottom. She would need to be sedated, since she will not lay still for the test. The youngest kids they can coach to lay still are very cooperative 5 year olds. She is not one of those kids. I think it is a kind of MRI. I didn't recognize the name of the test. Anyway we'll schedule that once he sees the lab tests. So that is where we stand for now.
Thank-you for all the prayers for my little girl. I take such comfort in knowing that God is in control and He has her in His hands. I don't need to worry about her. Just be there for her and get what answers I can to help her.
