My Bony Boy

While I would love to ponder on the perplexities of pollution, sift through my mind for something witty to say about the magnitude of womanhood or even enlighten you with some freshly gained gem of knowledge… I know you are all waiting for an update on Tyler… and well, that’s about all that’s been on our minds lately too.

So update I will.

Friday morning we fought the weekend traffic and hectic boarder to get to the Children’s Hospital once again. This time we went upstairs to meet with an orthopedic surgeon. Our appointment was at 11am, and by 12:30 we were in to meet with him. The doctor did his best, but really Tyler was in severe pain with all his poking and prodding. When he looked at the his x-ray, suddenly there was concern in his voice mingled with uncertainty as he started to ask us lots of questions about his medical history with his feet and ultimately the given diagnosis. His x-ray startled the doctor and the explanation of it shocked us too: Tyler has an extra bone in his foot that shouldn’t be there. After a while the doctor attending us said he didn’t feel like he was competent enough and so he was going to explain everything to his ‘boss’ and bring back the senior doctor to take a look at Tyler. Again we waited…this time a little more worried than when the worst was merely a fracture or a break.

The two returned and Tyler was again examined – a little more gently. The x-ray was the real point to be examined. In the end we were given a referral for a pediatric orthopedic surgeon in Indianapolis for when we return. He will need x-rays on both feet, an MRI, and then surgery to remove the bone or bones – if on both feet. He could have a bone infection – which may have been causing his on and off fevers for the past two years (or the fevers could be completely unrelated). But basically this is pretty serious. As much as this will be a long and hard journey for Tyler, we are also a bit relieved. Since before he could walk, we’ve been trying to convince doctors everywhere that there was something just not right with his feet. We’ve seen all sorts of specialists and it has only been his physical therapist that thought there was a problem but wasn’t “specialized” enough to determine or diagnose it. She set us up with a pediatric podiatrist who said he had flexible flat feet… and ordered insoles. When that didn’t work our physical therapist helped us get his braces, since he was walking on the insides of his feet and ruining his navicular bone as well as he lacked major muscle in his legs. Since his supposed “injury” that hasn’t worked either. In fact, as the two doctors who stared unbelievably at his x-ray said, this was not acute and was so obvious that they couldn’t fathom that any specialist of any kind could have looked at an x-ray of his foot and not see that extra bone. In fact they were appalled and want to be kept in the know of what happens with Tyler. We finally have a Dr. on our side – and his name is Dr. Galpin, so he won’t be forgetting us too quickly either. For now Tyler has a cast to keep his foot and leg still and help with the pain. His fevers fluctuate, but he is starting to hobble around. Monday we start making calls to get the medical attention he’ll need back home. In a sense we are relieved to finally be heard and to start the process that will result in Tyler’s full health.

Just a note: his cast is, thankfully, waterproof! He can swim, bathe – the works! So our summer fun isn’t toast! Also my double stroller was in storage at my father-in-law’s, so we dug it out for double use! Tyler was scared to death to get the cast on, but is now very proud of his red superman cast that drains water while he hangs upside down after his bath!

After the hospital we headed to Palmyra, New York. We did some of the sites, but the real high of the day was the Hill Cumorah Pageant. Amidst trying to keep Ethan from singing at the top of his lungs the whole time, and answering all of Julia’s questions, it was a very enjoyable spectacle. I truly had my testimony strengthened of how much our Savior loves each of us. I was especially touched at this time with feeling how much He loves Tyler and understands what he is going through and will help him to be made whole. It was a great experience and really made everything we did that day worthwhile.

That night we drove till almost 2am and stayed near Niagara Falls. Saturday morning we did the falls thing. Greg has been having nightmares for a year of Ethan falling down the falls. Thankfully it was pretty uneventful, but it was a bit amusing to watch Greg being the paranoid parent for once! Julia commented that she thought the Niagara Falls was a dream and hoped now that we could come back to see it every year! It was nice to feel the mist on such an incredibly hot day! Saturday afternoon we drove back to Toronto for the Saunderson family reunion. We had a great time visiting and relaxing and while Tyler fought a fever, he was able to nap a fair amount. We couldn’t get Julia out of the pool, and Ethan was enjoying a brand new tiny puppy! It’s always fun to be with family, and this reunion was no exception. Today we have enjoyed a nice quiet day together and are happy to report zero injuries or happenings of any kind. Oh happy day!

PS - Sorry for how long this is!