Ryan's MRI - Children's Hospital LA

Today was Ryan's MRI appointment at Children's Hospital.

He was scheduled for a 9:30 MRI. He was allowed to have milk until midnight and Pedialyte until 7a. We fed him as much as he would take before he went to bed. Jeff and I contemplated whether or not we should wake him up at midnight to feed him. Since we had to wake up at 5:30a, I thought it would be best to chance it in the event he would sleep through the night and not disrupt his (and my) sleep.

Ryan woke up at 2:30a and took quickly to the Pedialyte - until he and I both figured out that there was a slow nipple on the bottle. Although I went downstairs to get the faster flow nipple, it was too late. His frustration already set in. He spent the next 35 minutes crying. He was so mad that he scratched his cheek and then tried to scratch me, too! I walked him back and forth the upstairs hallway until he started to doze. I felt like the walking dead. I couldn't have been any more tired.

Lucky for us, Ryan isn't much of a morning eater - so not feeding him right away wasn't a big deal.

We were just leaving the house at 7a and stopped at Starbucks for my much needed coffee before we headed up to LA. While I got the coffee, Jeff tried to give Ryan his last chance at Pedialyte. Ryan didn't take too much.

We arrived at Children's hospital with plenty of time to spare. Lucky for us, there was not much traffic because of the holiday season. Children's Hospital is a beautiful facility. It really offers a great kid environment for those who will be treated there. I will say, though, that Jeff and I are sadly reminded that Ryan's condition is a blessing compared to the other children visiting the hospital.

After about an hour of checking in, Ryan was called back to the "holding area". This is where they took his vitals, introduced us to his Anesthesiologist and where we put him into his hospital gown. We were also notified that just one of us would be allowed to go in with him for a few minutes into the MRI. Jeff graciously allowed me to be "the one".

We then went into the Radiology room where Ryan would be given his IV for the anesthesia. Up until this point, Ryan was happy and smiling and just full of his typical personality. That was until the nurses tried viciously to find a vein on Ryan. His poor chunky arms and legs made it difficult for them to find a vein. Ryan screamed irritably as the tourniquet was put on each arm and each leg - multiple times. He was red in the face and whimpering as they finally found a vein at the top of his hand that they would go after. Although only one prick, it took a few maneuvers once in the skin to penetrate the vein. They got it! Poor guy.

The time came where I walked him into the procedure room. The Anesthesiologist gave him his sedative while I held Ryan in my arms. Within a few short seconds, Ryan went completely limp. It's a good thing that I could still hear him breathe. I had an awful vision of his body being lifeless. I didn't like that at all. I held him for just a short while. He was still whimpering from all the crying - even in his sleep. I laid him down on the MRI table and gave him a kiss on his forehead before I had to go.

Jeff and I waited about an hour-and-a-half before we were allowed to come see him in recovery. Ryan did very well. We were told that he woke right up after coming out of the anesthesia and he was even smiling at the nurses before we got in. We were able to immediately give him some Pedialyte and within the hour after that were able to give him some milk. We spent the rest of the day hanging out with him. We were notified that he would spend a lot of the day sleeping off the anesthesia. I don't think he slept any more than a regular day - but I did think he was a little more "needy" than usual.

Ryan's doctor is on vacation until the 29th. We will not know any results until at least that day. I would figure we will have news by the end of next week for sure.

We pray for positive results. Until then...