OHSU

In a nutshell... after one of the least fun days ever, the diagnosis for Boo is:

Juvenile Recurrent Parotitis

So... no surgery (which is a good thing). But note the word "recurrent" is in there so looks like we will be managing this with her... possibly for the rest of her life though some kids just grow out of it. The Doc from OHSU is hoping that the ENT here will be able to manage this with us so we don't have to go to Portland every time.

The morning started off pretty low key. Since Boo had an MRI with sedation on her itinerary, she had to get up and eat breakfast at 5am (then she went back to sleep for a while). After a thrilling drive to OHSU (in rush hour traffic) we arrived a little early so there was time for Boo to hang out and play in the waiting room. There was a really neat fish tank, with a "Nemo" fish. The visit with the Doc was unremarkable - she was very interested to see the results of the MRI.

After that we had almost 2 hours to burn before it was time to check in for her MRI. We went down to the cafeteria in the OHSU main building. (Which means we went up, across the skybridge, and back down...) Boo could have "clear liquids and jello" until about 9:30 so she got to have a snack. We found they were having a book fair, so visited that for a while.

Then it was time to find the MRI area. We got checked in, and then waited. The waiting room was small, and not nearly as nice as the one at Doernbecher. She entertained herself with a Scooby-Doo drawing set I bought her at the book fair.

Then a nurse put some "numbing cream" on Boo's hands and arms then covered them with bandages. She looked like a mummy. And then we waited some more.

Then a different nurse came to put in Boo's IV. So began the drama. She sat on her dad's lap, and squeezed my hand while the nurse put the IV in her other hand. And she screamed. It was heartbreaking and sad. Then we waited again.

Boo wanted to go for a walk, and we found a private waiting area with a TV so she got to watch Sponge Bob for a while. Then it was time for her sedation, and the MRI... during which we just had to wait some more.

She was sedated for almost two hours. When it was finally time to wake her up - well it was tough. When she finally opened her eyes she was very lethargic, and it took her a long time to be able to sit up. And when she finally did, she didn't want any water, or juice, or anything. Finally she drank some juice, so the nurse would let her get dressed and leave. They gave us a wheel chair for her and she rode back to the car in style.

So... a very long day.