Mr. Tough Guy...

is what little P is! For those of you that heard about Parker on Facebook, thank you so much for all of the prayers on his behalf. For those of you that are my faithful blog readers, I wanted to catch you up on what happened with Parker. We had a scary couple of days last week, but God is so good! Parker had his 15 month Well Visit on Monday, Oct. 5th. The afternoon before, he had started having a clear, runny nose and a little cough. By Monday morning, he was wheezing and his chest sounded a little "rattly," but he had no fever or any other symptoms. Our wonderful pediatrician took one look at Parker's throat and immediately had him tested for strep. Parker tested positive for the 4th time in just a matter of months. Our Doctor was very concerned about Parker's lungs/wheezing and so I was asked if we had a family history of Cystic Fibrosis. I had no idea what that was at the time, but it didn't sound good. He said he didn't think that he had it, but that we better have him tested to make sure. He also wanted him to have a chest x-ray done immediately. So, 2 hours later I was handed 7 pieces of prescription paper. 5 of which were medications: refill of Singulair (for allergies), xyzal (antihistimine), Cleocin (antibiotic for children who have recurring strep), xopenex (for breathing treatments), and Flovent (an inhaler), 1 order for a chest x-ray and 1 order for 2 tests to be done at Children's Hospital. Parker was also being referred to 2 specialists, an Allergist and a Pulmonologist. I was a little overwhelmed at this point! Parker and Katy were such troopers. We spent over 3 hours at St. Mary's North, but I knew it was worth it. I trust our pediatrician completely and know that he is very thorough and wants the best for my kids. Parker sat so still during his chest x-ray (of course it helped that there was a cute nurse working with him!) After a much needed nap, we took Parker to Children's Hospital to have blood drawn for alpha antitrypsin testing. This was to rule out any lung disease like emphysema. Parker was so tough. He laid down on the table and let them put the needle in his arm with barely a whimper. The next morning I took him back to Children's to have a Sweat Chloride Test done, which is a test for Cystic Fibrosis. Again, Parker did so well. He had his arms warmed and then they taped a piece of gauze down on his arm with a heating pad taped on top. We had to leave it on for 30 minutes so they could collect his sweat. It was a beautiful day, so we went outside of the hospital and walked. I prayed and prayed for my sweet boy that everything would turn out normal. As we were leaving, I got a call from our pediatrician's office and that Parker's chest x-ray showed pneumonia. I was shocked! Besides a cough, Parker was not showing any signs of being sick! He was playing and sleeping fine. I am so thankful for our Doctor! They wanted me to take Parker back to Children's for more blood work so they could determine whether his pneumonia was bacterial or viral. So after Parker took a long nap, I took him back Tuesday evening and luckily he just had to have a finger prick. On Wednesday morning, I found out that all of Parker's test results came back normal. What a HUGE praise! I was so relieved. The next step was our referrals to the 2 specialists. Parker is going to be seen by a Nurse Practitioner, Jama Rose, at Allergy & Asthma Affiliates on Wednesday, Oct. 14th. They wanted him to see Dr. Ellenburg but he was very booked, and our pediatrician wanted Parker to be seen as soon as possible. I believe they are going to be testing him for allergies that morning. Then on Monday, Oct. 19th, Parker will be seen by Dr. Riff at Pediatric Pulmonology & Respiratory Care. Both of these appointments include lots of testing and will consume several hours. Please be praying for Parker and that he will do well during all of the testing, and pray that the Doctors will be able to give us some answers as to why Parker's body is constantly sick. He has been through so much sickness since last November. I know that God has big plans for my boy and I can't wait to see what they are! Thank you so much for being prayer warriors for our family. I love you all!

Pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1Thessalonians5:17-18