Sunday, July 11, 2010

unresolved

We've been to urgent care nearly every day this last week because Elliott won't pee. If he doesn't pee often enough, his bladder will stretch and there will be permanent damage. We don't know if the problem is a behavioral one or a physical one or a medical one. We've had some good doctors and some bad ones, but we have to go and see a urologist in Los Angeles this week to see what's going on.

Because Elliott won't pee, they have to catheterize him, which means we wrap him up in a sheet or a blanket and pin him down while the nurses do the procedure. It is traumatizing. But nothing else has worked. We had him drink cranberry juice while we massaged his stomach and watched potty videos this morning and he still won't pee. We've tried warm baths, running water, playing with water, etc. We've tried bribes. Nothing works.

Elliott's respiratory infections have cleared up since we've gotten Mookie a home and added air purifiers to our house, so that's the good news.

We can't really do anything until we get this figured out and it's so frustrating and exhausting.

Wednesday, July 07, 2010

my poor little one

Elliott has been to the doctor 5 of the past 7 days. He had an earache, was vomiting, had diarrhea, wouldn't pee, was grabbing his crotch, screaming, a fever, chest congestion, nasal congestion, a cough, etc. Pretty much everything you can think of, he's had it this week. Except a rash. I probably shouldn't jinx it. Last night we were at urgent care where they had to catheterize him. TWICE. Because they fucked up the first time. Good news is his kidneys are working. Bad news is that no one knows why he won't pee for 24 hours and doesn't want to drink anything. So he's getting an ultrasound today and bloodwork as well. And then we'll talk to a urologist. Shitty for any kid? Yes. Worse for Elliott? You got it. He doesn't understand why we are inserting a tube into his penis or letting strangers put their hands all over him or sticking needles into his veins. He screams and screams our names as though we are betraying him. He wants to leave and he keeps saying "outside, outside, outside" until he gives up and just sobs. And this child has been through it, man. First off, he's got autism. Then he's constantly got a respiratory problem--he is coughing most of the year, a hacking smoker's cough. (Maybe he sneaks cigarettes after we go to bed?) He's very underweight and lost a pound within this past bout of illness, though we managed to help him gain it back. It's just so unfair, and we can't live normal lives because we are at the doctor's all of the time or he is feeling so poorly he just screams and screams. Here's hoping it all gets better soon.