All I want for Christmas...

If you take a moment to read this post, you’ll have some idea of what we’ve been going through the last few days and nights around here. For some reason, Nik’s system decided that it didn’t need to be, um, regular and that’s been causing quite a bit of discomfort for him.

Things reached critical mass this morning when even a suppository wouldn’t accomplish the job. Oh, well, that and Nik waking with a fever over 102 degrees Fahrenheit. After calling the doctor, we suspected we might be looking at abdominal x-rays after our office visit. Nik’s anatomy is not exactly the “standard issue” courtesy of his intestinal malrotation which gives him a greatly shortened tract.

Where most people’s intestines and bowels look just like you might see in an anatomy book (or like this), Nik’s doesn’t have as many twists and turns. Well, actually, it had more twists —some of which nearly did him in just shy of his first birthday —including a sneakily hidden appendix diagonally opposite where it should have been (his was up under his stomach). Thanks to a fabulous surgeon in Oakland (yep, Nik’s a Californian, du-ude!), Nik made it through but now has more of a short hairpin turn in his large intestine than the nice long U-which wraps around the perimeter.

All this is to say that Nik’s been having some troubles and a lot of pain. And, that we can’t take a wait-and-see approach all the time because we don’t know what sort of scar tissue is there and what sort of nerve damage may or may not have occurred during his surgery.

True to form, we went in expecting Thing A and came out with Thing B instead; that’s kind of par for the course with Nik.

Thing B, as it turns out is another raging ear infection. When Doctor Mary exclaimed “Oh my goodness, Nikolas, no wonder you’re in pain!” we knew it wasn’t pretty. In spite of what all the ENT (ear-nose-throat) doctors say, it certainly is possible for a child with myringotomy tubes to have an infection without fluids draining out of the ear. We suspect that Nik’s got some dried fluid or wax in front of the actual tube (closer to the outer ear) which is blocking the drainage route. Kind of like a beaver dam in a river; it doesn’t necessarily block the entire flow but it restricts it enough to change the normal or expected course.

So, hear we are, a mere nineteen days into the month and Nik has had a stomach bug, followed by strep, and now another ear infection. Poor guy.

None the less, with the addition of yet another antibiotic (his second in as many weeks), some multidopholus powder to his formula, and the help of our dear, dear friend, Addie Ville, we’re forging ahead with our plans to visit Santa tomorrow on the Santa Clause Express train. We went last year and had a wonderful time. If Nik’s feeling better tomorrow, I expect it will be even better than last year!

Fingers crossed.

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