October 14, 2009

WHAT ABOUT SPARKY?


sparky is our nick name for parker.
he's not so sparky these days.

thank you to the many of you who have checked in with us to find out how he is doing. we appreciate the concern and covet your prayers.
at this time, there is not much new to update you with. we still do not have a diagnosis.

we had another appointment with the pediatric specialist yesterday. this to get the results of all the testing he had done last week. both graham and i had a lot of anxiety going to this appointment. based on his symptoms and blood work, we knew what the doctor suspected and what those tests were looking for. Leukemia. that has been a tough possibility to have hanging over our heads.
we were very relieved to find out that parker does NOT have Leukemia.

while there is relief to rule something out, there still remains the mystery of what is making him so terribly ill. yesterday, the specialist indicated that we are most likely dealing with something very serious. we know the possible diagnosis that are being looked at... there is much anxiety over what it may or may not be. however, we are confident that the doctors involved are looking at every possible diagnosis and giving him a thorough evaluation. of course, the process of eliminating possibilities and searching for diagnosis is extremely difficult and stressful. it is scary to watch your child suffer and not know what is wrong.

parker has now lost 14lbs. he continues to fight some sort of ongoing infection in his lungs. this causes him shortness of breath. he has pronounced fatigue and low stamina (but he likes the way that word sounds). he has a lot of joint pain primarily in his hands and legs. his joints are very sore and stiff in the morning. this makes walking difficult.

the school and his teacher have been incredibly supportive. we are incredibly grateful for this. he is doing most of his school work from home as he has only been in school a total of 5 days in the past 5 weeks. this week we have been trying to get him to school for 2 hours each afternoon. it's hard on him physically but it's good for him emotionally. when i dropped him off today, his classmates were all so excited to see him...that did my heart good too!

for the most part, he is one sick little guy - he does have some sporadic days where he feels a bit better and we can catch a glimpse of our old sparky.

we'd like our little boy back full time.

please pray for our little sparky.



6 comments:

ShandoBando said...

Oh my goodness! You guys sure have a life! We will definitely keep Sparky Parky in our prayers. I'm sorry you have to go through this. Not knowing is the worst! Keep up your strength...you're a good mom! Oh...btw....I love your blogs!!! Serious future book in the making!
Much love to you and your fam!

Anonymous said...

Oh you guys! Our thoughts are with you. What an ordeal you guys have been through. Keep strong, stay positive, and the rest will come. All our best to you ALL!

Renee said...

Sorry to hear your son is suffering so much. Your family has gone through so much already. I assume they have ruled out Lyme for Parker? My husband's main symptom was complete exhaustion...a little joint pain, and balance issues. Exhaustion like CFS is still his major symptom.
I suppose everyone is giving you suggestions...please ignore mine if they are offensive....
Prayers continue for you all!

Kara said...

Thanks for the update on Parker. You are all in my prayers. What an ordeal -- as if you're not going through enough already. Gosh. May the Lord give you the strength and peace you need to move forward.

Santiago Córdoba said...

Shannon,

'Sparky', you and all your family are in my prayers. Stay strong, keep the faith and you'll see that soon everything will be fine.

Greetings from Colombia.

Santiago Córdoba said...

Shannon,

'Sparky', you and all your family are in my prayers. Stay strong, keep the faith and you'll see that soon everything will be fine.

Wishing you the best from Colombia.

Santi.