Rock-a Bye-Baby

Once again, I have to apologize for neglecting my blog! Work has been very busy and it's so hard to sit down and get the creative juices flowing!

Owen had a sleep study and an appointment with endochronology on the 12th and 13th respectively and I have do say - it was another disappointing trip. I say "another" disappointing trip because Dan and I have been a little frustrated with our last few treks to Ann Arbor. Over the course of the past few months we have had several appointments made for us in different departments - neurology, genetics, neurosurgery, sleep study dept., endochronology. With the exception of genetics, at each of the appointments they always start off with "So, why are you here today?". The thing is...we don't know! These appointments are made for us and we expect they should know why we are there!

The doctors alway seem to need a recap of Owen's life when we bring him in. It's as if no one shares files (or at least reads them). For as many times as Owen has been to U of M, their familiarity with his case is minimal. Even the nurse, who checks us in everytime we are there shows us no sign of recognition.

Now, don't get me wrong, every single doctor and nurse that we have met has been EXTREMELY nice (and Dr. Misra our geneticist is entirely excluded from this rant because none of these complaints apply to him). I think we are frustrated because we feel as if we are rearranging our lives to make these appointments and end up without a lot of new information. But enough about that and on to the sleep study!

First, I have to say how badly I wish I could post the pictures of Owen during his study. My camera's batteries were dead and the pictures are on my cell phone (I don't have a transfer kit). OH MY GOSH! He was so stinkin' cute! Sensors placed all over monitored different body activity while he slept. He has 3 on his cranium, 2 on his temples, 3 on his chin, 1 on his forhead, 2 on his arms and 1 on his leg. To keep all the sensors on his head in place, they put a tube of gauze with a hole cut out over his head and tied it on top. It was so funny! His face was completely smushed and the little knot on top of his head made him look like a Teletubbie!

Owen also had a strap on his chest, one on his stomach and a breathing tube in his nose. They expected this kid to sleep?! Amazingly, Owen fell asleep at around 9:15pm,that is until the nursed came crashing in and woke him back up. He got back to be around 10:30pm.

Now, as I understood it, the doctors needed Owen to sleep at least 6 solid hours in order to get the readings they needed. Under normal circumstances this is no problem for Owen. I even believe he would have slept throught the night hooked up like a littl science experiment. What Owen can't sleep through is people coming in and out of his room all night, playing with wires, making things beep, shining flashlights in his crib. How much do we expect from this poor little guy? You know who else can't sleep through all that? Me! Yeah, I was pretty crabby in the morning! Anyway, we somehow got throught the night and have not yet heard the results of the study. Knowing U of M though, the will need us to come in for an appointment to get those results and then ask us why we are there.

Endochronology will be the next post!