Finally!!!

After waiting and waiting (since May), we FINALLY have an appointment scheduled for Ethan to see the allergist. I don't know if I have ever had to deal with so much crap to get an appointment before. Ethan's pulmonologist recommended this allergist and said that it was critical that we be seen because of Ethan's blood test results. Unfortunately, the referral had to be sent from our pediatrician for the appointment. And to make a really long story short, I am just mad about how both doctors' offices just blame each other for Ethan slipping through the cracks. I am not focusing on that right now, and I am just happy that Ethan is going to be seen. We will go on Wednesday afternoon.

Emily has an appointment on Friday at the Cerebral Palsy Clinic at Children's Rehab Services. I'm a little curious about how that appointment will go with the orthopedist, but I am really looking forward to being able to have a very enlightening conversation with the neurologist there. The last time we went to the CP clinic, I was very distraught about Emily's headaches and was getting nowhere from her old neurosurgeon. The neurologist at the CP clinic made a diagnosis in less than 3 minutes and said that Emily had migraines (simply because I suffer with them). He immediately gave her a prescription of Depakote to take for them and just sent us on our way. I had never given her the Depakote because I wasn't comfortable with how the appointment went. I searched further for answers and ended up with our new neurosurgeon who instantly told me that Emily had been suffering from a Chiari Malformation, which was confirmed by several MRI's. I am really looking forward to going in and informing that neurologist (who spent only 3 minutes with my child) how wrong he was in his diagnosis.

Regarding school, things have really improved for Ethan. Although he struggles with being able to pay attention, he is still doing well and most importantly, is LOVING school. Both of the kids are just doing so well. In fact, I had talked to Emily's teacher on the phone on Friday regarding the headaches that Emily is still getting, and in our conversation, the teacher informed me that they had been doing assessments on the kids last week. And she told me that Emily had tested out of first grade. She said that she could even probably give her the test for second grade and she would do really well on it. That kind of comment sure makes a mama proud!!! It was cute listening to Ethan and Emily comparing their tests (since they are in different classes now). It was very obvious by listening to their comparison that Ethan answered the same way as Emily on all of the questions on the test. Although I don't have confirmation from the teacher, I'm pretty sure that Ethan also did just as well as Emily on the assessments. And then to make me even prouder, Emily's teacher informed me tonight that Emily tested on a third grade reading level!!!!! :)

One thing that has been a big concern for me about the school is how Ethan came home on two different days last week and complained that he couldn't wash his hands all day because there wasn't any soap in the bathroom. The teacher does have GermX, though, and he used that, but that isn't the point. I even received an email from the school district explaining about the seriousness of the H1N1 virus and how the school is going to teach proper hygiene to all the students to help prevent the spread of the virus. Well, you can imagine how upset this made me considering they don't even make sure that there is soap in the bathrooms. We have stressed over and over to the kids about the importance of hand washing. With Ethan's respiratory history, we just can't take any chances with him catching such a horrible illness. I sent an email to the school nurse because I was concerned about the lack of soap. She suggested that I go straight to the principal because she has had several other complaints, too. So, that is just what I did. I sent an email to the principal on Friday regarding the unsanitary conditions and how critical it is for Ethan to have access to soap. I asked how the school expects to prevent the spread of ANY kind of illness if the kids don't have a way to wash their hands properly. I have yet to hear back from the principal regarding this, but Ethan did tell me that there was soap in the bathroom today.

Wow, it's been a crazy week, but it sure is nice to see the kids so excited about school. They are doing so great in their different classes, too. I'm excited to see what this year will bring!