RMH, Our Big Teen's Appointment and the 1,000th Comment

As you can tell from the title, this will be a bit of a ramble.  We are back from Duke University Hospital.  It sure is nice to be home.  Our big teen's cardiac appointment did not go as well as usual.  We knew going in that something was not quite right.  He has been having the feeling that his pacemaker was shocking him and having strange feelings in his chest for a few months.  The doctor did several tests via the phone with a pacemaker transmission machine and sent us to the local cardiologist (who is not all that awesome) but could see nothing dangerous or obviously wrong.  Well, at the appointment he saw a variety of things that were not quite right.  Blessedly, he was able to fix the majority of the shocking feeling since that was a glitch in the pacemaker lead, so our big teen will be more comfortable now.  However, he saw a few other things that worried him, and it is going to take some time to figure out what it is.  Worst case scenario ~ he would not explain to us because he thinks that is very unlikely.  The other possible issues should show themselves now that the pacemaker has been adjusted.  Hopefully, we will have some answers in the coming weeks.  There is no doubt that our teen will have to return to Duke in 6 months, if not sooner.  Even though things are unsure right now, I really do feel at peace.  The journey that we have been on for 18 years with my son has been filled with alarming obstacles, and each time God has moved them out of the way.  I feel secure that Timothy will get the best care and all shall be well.  Our son has been living on borrowed time since he was a newborn, and we are so blessed for each precious day with him.


On a brighter topic ~ I wanted to sing the praises for Ronald McDonald house (RMH) again.  What a wonderful place this is for families far from their home trying to take care of their sick children.  If you have never been to RMH, it is basically a house with many family bedrooms.  There is a central kitchen, living room, playroom, dining room, and teen room for everyone to share.  Most people have to share bathrooms, but those who are there for long stays (months) often get a room with a bathroom.  The staff are always so kind and helpful. They are all about the families and the children's comfort.  They provide dinner each night and the cost is only $10 a night for the entire family.  This price has not changed in the ten years we have been staying there.  Our children were given two small handmade quilts that are just adorable on this particular visit.  I believe this was our 15th or 16th stay at RMH, and as always, it was a wonderful experience.  Here are a few pics from RMH-Durham.  The first photo shows our big teen playing video games in the teen room, followed by photos of Little Red Ridinghood having a blast in the playroom, and the final photo is of me playing guard outside our bedroom door.  Once the beds were all folded out, there was no room for me to sit inside the room until everyone was asleep, when I could then crawl over their beds.  LOL!














Okay!  If you hung in this long and are the 1,000th comment, then you are the lucky winner of a "Friends of the RMH" bracelet!  I will contact you, so I can get your address and send it to you.


Blessings, Dawn