How we got here...

It started with periodic stomach aches and bathroom issues at the beginning of December. Caleb isn't a kid who fakes sickness to avoid school and by mid-December, he was missing more than one day a week and when he was there, he was texting all day asking to be picked up. We asked continuously if something was going on at school to make him want to avoid school. He assured us there wasn't. We asked Kaia to talk to him. If he was having issues with someone at school, she would be the one he would tell. Kaia got the same answers from him that we did. So we scheduled an appointment with his pediatrician. 

The appointment was scheduled for the end of December and the day before the appointment, the pediatrician's office called to change the appointment to a virtual appointment. We called in and Caleb did an amazing job talking to the doctor and giving him all of the information he needed. The doctor prescribed him IBS meds that didn't help (IBS is not the same as IBD, but more on that will come in a later post) and said he wanted to schedule a diagnostic ultrasound of Caleb's belly. 

We got the appointment scheduled the following week, the first week in January. But then, there were some insurance changes that weren't processed correctly and the appointment had to be postponed. Once the insurance situation was cleared, he had the ultrasound done on February 2.  After waiting about a week for results, we were told they saw a questionable spot on his liver and his doctor wanted an MRI for a better look. We scheduled the MRI for February 22. More waiting. Meanwhile, his symptoms were getting worse. 

He had already missed SEVERAL days of school and as parent and teacher, I was concerned about him falling behind. He had worked too hard to let absences bring his grades down. I knew he was missing important instructional time and equally important social interaction with his friends. He missed Monday through Thursday the week of February 13. But, Friday, February 17, he attempted to go to school. The long bus ride from our house to the middle school aggravated his symptoms so he asked to ride with me. He rode with me to the elementary and caught the bus from there. Before he got on the bus he begged me not to make him go. I had never seen him like that and my gut told me not to put him on the bus. I did anyway. Always trust your gut. 

He texted during the short bus ride to the middle school from the elementary and when he arrived at school, begging me to pick him up. He was in a lot of pain and completely miserable. I made the decision to leave school and take him to the emergency room. I have an amazing partner teacher who said, "I'll take your class with my class, go!" I have amazing admin that said, "We will figure it out, go." I have an amazing 3rd grade team that split my class when no sub could be found. 

When we got to the ER (shout out to the amazing staff at Ally Bastrop) Caleb was checked in and I realized he had lost about 12 lbs since an unrelated doctor's visit less than a month before. During the intake process, the very funny and personable staff member asked, "Is he always this white?" No, his color was def off. Some of his blood work was off as well but they weren't concerned. They did a CT and it showed nothing significant. They gave him some fluids and his color did get better. The doctor suggested we keep his MRI appointment scheduled the following week and see a pediatric gastroenterologist. 

The MRI the following week didn't show anything significant on his liver. His pediatrician said it was probably a blip of some sort during the ultrasound. That was much needed good news but still didn't give us answers to his growing list of symptoms which now included blackish stool and vomiting every couple of days. 

Getting in to see a gastroenterologist proved to be a struggle. It was a race between Dell Children's and Baylor Scott and White to see who could get him in the fastest. Well, they didn't know they were in a race. It was just a race in my head. Both originally said it would be the end of April before they could see him. But after Dell received his records and I called to give them his growing list of symptoms, they scheduled him for March 6. Not as soon as we wanted but better than the end of April. 

My next post (maybe tomorrow) will be about that first gastro appointment and appointments we have had since then, as well as his treatment plan. 

I want to thank everyone for the continued concern for Caleb and our family. ❤