Quick Update

Ben was sent to the ER on Friday afternoon by our Pediatrician with stomach pains and elevated white blood cell counts.  

He was unable to walk because the pain was so bad.

Everyone thought it was appendicitis.   Ben was put on food restrictions and we were told he would have surgery early in the morning to remove his appendix. 

After more blood work, an abdominal ultrasound and consults with the hospital pediatrician and general surgery we weighed the options of doing a CT scan (the radiation and in the Doctors words 'increased chances of childhood malignancy') vs. waiting and watching (running the risk of the appendix bursting which would lead to at least a week long stay in the hospital, high dose antibiotics, surgery and possibility of an abscess)  vs. immediate surgery (2-3 day hospital stay but no radiation, no ruptured appendix BUT the ultrasound was inconclusive and could not rule out or confirm appendicitis).

After quite a bit of back and forth with 2 surgeons and the pediatrician the decision was made to wait and watch.  Ben was admitted and we spent our very first (and hopefully last) night together in a hospital since he was born. 

And the most amazing thing happened.......he slept through the night.  He slept through the doctors and nurses coming in every two hours and when he woke up - he was fine.

We were discharged Saturday afternoon.  His abdominal ultrasound showed enlarged lymph nodes throughout his chest so we are still watching him closely as that can be a precursor to appendicitis.  

I will post more details and stories later.  Right now I am running on empty and not very confident in my ability to formulate coherent sentences. 

 We are home.  Safe and sound.