Well hello everyone....Gage, Beth and Aunt Kim traveled to Duke today to meet with the ENT  Dr Raynor (Ears, Nose and Throat MD) about the sleep apnea and tonsils issue.  Nana was with them on the last office visit so this was Aunt Kim's first visit with this MD.  Ok, I know several of you out there said "Oh, No."  Everything went fine-the ride up, the escalator, registering, and then........... they forgot us. Or at least Aunt Kim thought they did.  We arrived around 1040 and we finally saw the MD around 1220, so you can imagine all that went down in between all that time. First of all, I can tell you the Lord is developing my patience. I lasted with Gage a pretty long time in the waiting area with laying Gage on the couch, twirling him around my head, bouncing, patting, he had a feeding by GT, Beth bounced and then..........Aunt Rambo came out. I was just getting ready to get up when the little girl who weighed him and did his temp and set us back in the waiting area for a room came out getting ready to go to lunch saw my eyes and she turned around went back in the back. She came back out and said "we have not forgotten you you will be called next".  Well 25 minutes and about 2 clients later being called Aunt Rambo got up, and as I was walking up the same girl got up as she was calling that 2nd client and said"really we have not forgotten you".  We were immediately called next, and I am steaming, b/c a drug representative has walked by (i don't think Beth even saw) and has bags of food for the MD and staff. I am thinking to myself-"That doctor better not put one morsel in her mouth before she sees my little man or I will feed the rest to her very quickly and then do the Heimlich on her". I know that sounds bad, but you know our time is as precious as hers, and Gage had already had several seizures, we are hungry to, and Beth told me the last time this MD only spent a few seconds with them. So Aunt Kim is primed already. Dr Raynor better not eat before she sees Gage and tells us the plan about the sleep study and sleep apnea.  You know how some people their faces speak volumes-I think mine spoke A-Z of the encyclopedia set. I was not ugly, nor did I speak or act ugly to anyone however the MD was not going to whiz in and out in 5 seconds to get to her sandwich the drug rep had for her until we had a plan.  So..... It amazes me over and over again that seizures when Gage has them that the MDs/assistants all look at us to fix it.  Gage had a seizure during the exam and the medical student never got off his chair but told Beth "well, you sure were quick doing that" rubbing the magnet over the VNS,  I know it is about 1230-1245 by now by Aunt Kim is thinking you are such an IDIOT. I apologize. Anyway, the MD comes in and tells us that the sleep study for a NORMAL CHILD would be one apnea period in one minute. Gage had 16 in one minute. Meaning in 60 seconds he had 16 seconds of apnea-not good. So not only will his tonsils/adenoids need to come out, but during the surgery they will perform a bronchoscopy and use a laryngoscope to view larynx, trachea, tongue, lungs etc... and further surgery made be required.  His tongue has always been too large and he has a high palate and the muscles around his throat are weak.  The MD states she make have to scar up the area around his tongue to strengthen the muscles/tone to prevent it from falling back when he goes into REM sleep or deep sleep.  We are scheduled for pre op next tues at 8 so we will leave home before Papa's chickens get up, and we see Dr Gallentine the seizure MD too at 9am. Gage will stay naked all day tuesday.  We will have the surgery on Sept 2 at Duke and Gage will have to stay in Pediatric Intensive Care Unit for at least one night and hopefully come home or maybe not the next day depending on what happens and how involved the procedure was.  After all this is complete we will have another sleep study to see how he is doing, and go from there.  It was a long day emotionally and physically.  We again ask for your continued prayers that God is with Gage, the MD and the assistants, and Beth and ML and kids as they face yet again surgery to make him more comfortable.  If you look at your watch and hold your breath every 16 seconds out of 60 it is quite exhausting. But they believe that this is causing Gage to have more seizures due to the lack of oxygen and build up of CO2 so it must be done.  Here is another thing that God has brought us to and will get us thru. It is amazing to me that this little child suffers so much yet smiles so much.  I mean we are asked the question every time "Is he in pain today" and you really have to say No b/c he truly does not seem to be.  He can have a hard seizure and then smile as he drifts off to sleep. I still say the Lord and Gage are talking during these times where we are telling him it is OK and rubbing his little arms, and waving the magnet over his chest, and then boom he comes out of it and looks at you and smiles.  I choose to believe it.  Just like I choose to believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the Living God.  Well, I gotta go do housework. Have a great weekend and be blessed because I am...
*BETH*