CT Scans and Such...

A few weeks ago, Connor met with a very large team of doctors (10, to be exact), to look at his head.  Since he was diagnosed with Cleidocranial Dysplasia, and still (at 4) has a very large soft spot on the top of his head, we wanted to have him looked at by Cranio Facial at Children's.  I was a little worried (ok, maybe a LOT worried) about how Connor would behave.  He wasn't the most cooperative at his regular checkup in October, and freaked out at an X-ray in November, so I was a little concerned about how he would handle this appointment.  We created a "Sensory Story" about going to the doctor (which we've been doing in OT and seems to have a positive effect on how he handles certain uncomfortable situations).  I have to say, the story worked!  I should have written one for myself, too, because I was under the impression that we would be meeting with a neurosurgeon and a plastic surgeon.  TWO doctors.  When I walked into the room and saw 10 people sitting there (and more popping their head in the room randomly), I was a bit overwhelmed.  Connor, however, had no issues with it.  He immediately found the white board and started coloring on it, which was a perfect opportunity for each doctor to feel his head and collar bone.

The first person we spoke with was a dentist who specializes in CCD, and reminded us of the issues that could arise with CCD patients (teeth not coming in on time, teeth not falling out when they should, etc).  But the first thing she said was this was one of the most mild cases she's seen, so I was pleased with that.  The next doctor we spoke with was a plastic surgeon, and he showed us 3D CT Scans of a 9-year-old boy who had surgery to fill his fontanelle.  This is a possibility for Connor, but we also agreed to wait and see if there is any growth over the next year.  So they ordered a 3D CT Scan, which Connor had done yesterday.

As with most 4-year-olds, asking them to remain PERFECTLY still during a 5 minute period is virtually impossible (even when Connor's asleep he doesn't stay still!).  So they normally sedate patients as young as Connor.  They did try to see if he'd stay still for them, and he did REALLY well.  For Connor.  But he'd scratch his head, or move his arm, and that's just not going to get a good picture, so he had to be sedated.  He had an IV put in (which he hated, but really... who likes it?), and within a few minutes of getting the medicine, he was ready to go.  Five minutes later he was done and being wheeled into recovery.  Now, waking up Connor on a regular day is a battle, so trying to wake him up after sedation was a difficult task.  He just wanted to sleep.  The nurse had to get a wet washcloth, and when she put it on him he turned over and yelled "NO!!  Stop being mean!!".  She laughed (thankfully) and he continued to wake up.  About an hour or so later, we got to go home.  He was pretty thrilled to ride in a wheelchair to get downstairs, and was able to walk from the entrance to the parking garage with no issues.  He took a few more naps throughout the day, but had loads of energy that night, so I knew he was back to his normal self!