Big Day! New MRI on 1/30

We had a day today! Originally Madelyn was scheduled for an MRI @ 9:30 and doctor's visit with the oncology team @ 2PM. The day started out well...

At 7:30AM, we received a call from the radiology folks. Madelyn was scheduled for an MRI of the head, neck, chest, and abdomen @ 9:30. The other time she had an MRI, she was supposed to have contrast as well, but woke up when they attempted to administer the dye. Since everyone felt it was unlikely that she would stay asleep this time too, she needed to be anesthetized. Of course, anesthesia was not ordered, so we were told it was very likely that we would have to reschedule as in this person's 4 years at Palmetto Richland, he had only once seen the same thing actually happen the same day. We told him he was about to see his second.

We called our friend Beth Selbee, an anesthesiologist @ PR. She confirmed that if they called up and requested someone, there were people available. We arrived at 8:45 and at 10AM we turned our baby girl over to them. Oddly, we were there as they initiated sedation, and it was a little unsettling to both of us. For Sheila, she had never seen it before and I had, but the fact that it's your baby wipes away all logic and you ache. We left them to go get some breakfast and the scan began around 10AM.

We sat impatiently in the surgical waiting area. At around 11:30, our table was ready (they give you the PagerNet devices to call you). Only one parent can go back, so Sheila went. I sat there until they called me back @ 12:25 (long 55 minutes) and said they had been moved to outpatient surgery for the final recovery stages. When I got to room 9, Sheila was feeding her and Madelyn's eyes were open and bright (she had not eaten since 5:30). We convinced the nurse to leave in the IV and shut it off so that oncology could draw blood if necessary to minimize her pain and discomfort. We left at around 1PM to grab a bite and head off to the 2PM appointment.

After we ate, we checked in at the oncology center and signed in at the office at 1:55. We were brought back quickly and gather Madelyn's vitals.

Weight: 17lbs 10oz (WOW!)
Height: 66cm (26in)

From there, we were seen by a resident and she performed a physical exam. Once she was done, we waited for Dr. Neuberg to tell us the results from the MRI. At 3:30, he came in and told us that he could not yet tell us anything because he was having difficulty comparing it to the last results because he couldn't visualize both at the same time. He told us he would call us with the results later. So, around 4PM we left for home.

Dr. Neuberg called around 6PM to tell us that (1) the tumor in her chest had not changed and (2) the tumors in her liver had become larger. We expected this regarding the tumors in her liver as her liver is visibly larger and can be felt on physical exam. So, we are going to stay on this course. Everyone is still optimistic that this can still regress on its own given her positive gentics, histology, and ploidy.

I am changing jobs and returning to Blue Cross Blue Shield of SC at the end of February. Given that we will be transitioning to a new group insurance plan, we may change the appointments to no come in March to avoid high COBRA costs. Her current medical bills are in excess of $50,000 and as of now we have been billed well over $10,000 of that. Some of the bills are being adjusted, so we don't really know the damage yet.

We have been attending Seacoast for the last three weeks, and honestly I look forward to Sunday morning. Madelyn will be in the Baby Dedication on 2/25/2007 at the Columbia campus. This ceremony allows Seacoast families and friends to gather for a special occasion of dedicating their children to the Lord and committing to raising their children in a Godly home. We encourage our friends in the Columbia area to attend if possible.

For your viewing pleasure, we have a video where Madelyn's has discovered raspberries, if you know what we mean.

Thanks fo your continued support and check back often.

The Bell Family