Testing

The EEG test was this morning and went smoothly.  We went in, they stuck electrodes to Max's head, then turned out the lights and all three of us took a nap.  They came back and woke us up an hour later flashed some lights in Max's face then sent us back to our room.  Easy peasy.

When they got Max ready for his MRI, the nurse put him on an IV because, since he couldn't eat (due to the fact they were planning to sedate him for the procedure), he needed extra fluids.  Both John and I immediately got up and inspected the IV bag.  I suspect we'll never fully trust an IV bag again.

When they took us down to sedation, John and I practically had a brawl with the staff there because we wanted them to at least TRY to do the test without drugging him.  We'd spent the entire day keeping Max awake so that he'd hopefully stay asleep for the test.  They couldn't understand why we were making such a stink about it.  They do this all the time, they assured us.  It's no big deal.  He'll be awake in a couple of hours they said.  It wasn't until we told them "But do you know what this baby has been through?" and explained our story that they agreed to give it a go, and we agreed that if it didn't work they could sedate him, but only after they assured us they triple check dosage and drug type and they would only give him the minimum amount he would need.

They set him all up for the MRI, but the machine was too loud and though I think he stayed asleep, the noise scared him enough to really wiggle around causing the picture to be blurry.  They ended up sedating him, but thankfully only needed a half dose of the drug because he was already so sleepy.  It took him several hours to wake up to the point he could nurse, and because he was so hungry and sleepy he forgot to breathe causing his monitors to go crazy.  This freaked me out completely and after the third try, we gave up and put him back on oxygen so he could eat, which he did with gusto then promptly fell asleep again. 

The MRI results came back fast showing no abnormalities.  Naturally we're thrilled to get that news.  The EEG tests came back showing what the neurologist referred to as "little peaks".  From what I understood what she saw was only slightly unusual, and we will followup with another EEG and see the neurologist in August.  Until then, we just need to watch Max closely for signs of seizure, though she doesn't think it will be a problem, in fact, she doesn't feel he needs to be on anti-seizure meds at this point.

The pediatrician came in and told us that if Max could get back to eating well and staying off of oxygen, we could all go home tomorrow.  As of right now he's on room air but needs oxygen when he nurses.  We've got all night to work on it, so I'm hoping by the time the pediatrician comes by on rounds he'll be off the nasal cannula and eating normally.

All in all, a good day I think.