Day 2 at the hospital

Saturday December 5th

After an uncomfortable night at the hospital with all three of us on the pull-out couch (which gave a whole new meaning to the idea of a firm mattress), we anxiously awaited the results of the blood work from 1:30am. As it turned out, William's labs were very similar to the results found the previous Thursday. His overall blood protein levels were dangerously low, particularly his albumin and immunoglobulins, but otherwise okay for the most part.

Dr. Joseph from the pediatrician's office was in to see us first thing in the morning. She apologized for the fact only bloodwork had been done and suggested she would discharge us, since it looked like nothing would happen until Monday. At that point, the pediatric gastrointerologist had not even been in to see William, nor did anyone know when he would be doing rounds. Shortly after Dr. Joseph left, Dr. Karjoo entered the room. William had been rather irritable for every other exam to that point...he wasn't phased with anyone's games, whether it be that of a nurse, resident or physician.

Dr. Karjoo introduced himself as our long-awaited gastrointerologist. William was tuned-in to the doctor's every move and seemed to hold onto his every word. He was fully tolerant for the exam and even gently held onto Dr. Karjoo's shirt sleeve. At that moment of witnessing my sick baby's reaction to this strong-accented little man, I felt as if it was William's way of knowing this man was going to help us. I had a moment of peace come over my body, almost confident this doctor was going to make by baby better. Dr. Karjoo repeatedly tapped on his fingers that were spread open over William's abdomen, listening intently, almost in an archaic fashion. He asked many questions about William's weight, of which we jokingly commented on what a chunky monkey he was. For the first time, this doctor seemed concerned with his appearance, suggesting it may be swelling.

Dr. Karjoo explained to use that since William was not in dire need, he would plan to do an endoscopy and colonoscopy on Monday the 7th, both of which would require general anesthesia. It's scary to think of anyone going under anesthesia, a thought especially concerning for our 6-month old infant. Knowing how sick he had been with his "food allergies" we knew this was the next necessary step. As Dr. Karjoo was leaving, he added he was going to order an abdominal ultrasound to rule-out any fluid retention around William's vital organs or the possibility of a fatty liver disorder. He left telling William, "good-bye my little friend, Wil-le-am!" William smiled back.

After Dr. Karjoo's visit, William was genuinely content. This picture shows the severity of his facial swelling.

Mommy's friend Jodi promptly made a visit to the hospital. She brought William what turned out to be his hospital best friend, Scout. That toy helped pass so much time, not to mention we held on to the tissue paper for well over a week for William to play with. Thank you Jodi!