The Elusive Effusion - Week of Feb. 18th

"Without enough sleep, we all become tall two-year-olds." ~ JoJo Jensen

Cam continues to battle joint and knee pain at bedtime.  Each night he is able to fall asleep, but then wakes up every couple of hours in pain.  Chris and Jane have explored different options, moving Cam to the couch, to the hammock swing, even his power chair, attempting to find some relief, along with a slew of doctor's appointments.

During the day, it seems Cam is amiable enough, still wanting to go to school, even with the disruptive rest.   This week, Jane traveled to North Carolina for work meetings and was fortunate enough to spend some time with 'Auntie' Leslie.

Back at home, the boys enjoyed playing xbox games in the evenings.
Jane arrived home Wednesday night.  Thursday morning, Cam was scheduled for an ultrasound of his hip and knee to determine if they could find anything.  After the non-painful procedure, we left the hospital and dropped Cam off at school.  That afternoon, Jane received a phone call indicating that the ultrasound did show an effusion (packet of fluid) located on his left hip.  The hospital told us they had an opening for 2:45p the next day, Friday.  It would be considered outpatient surgery since Cam would need to be sedated.
Always the trooper, we sat down with Cam after school to explain the next day's activities.  The biggest challenge would be not drinking any water after 10:30am and not eating anything after midnight until around 4pm the next day.  Even after a restless night, Cam didn't complain about the day ahead.  We kept him home from school since it would be difficult to concentrate without any sustenance.
As we were sitting in registration at the hospital, Jane received a text from 'Auntie' Karen with a gift card from Amazon video- perfect timing!  Cam knew right away he wanted to purchase the new Grinch movie to watch over the weekend.

It proved challenging for the nurses to find a vein for Cam's IV due to lack of nourishment and a stressful situation.  Our routine boy informed us prior to his short surgery that he would like to request "an adult-size meal and not a Cam-size meal since I am eating breakfast, lunch and an early dinner all at once!"
Friday evening brought a bit more rest, but not much.  The effusion was not the 'miracle' we were hoping for.
However, Saturday was an eventful day.  A huge edible arrangement arrived from 'Auntie' Jo and Will complete with balloons, fruit platter, and three cups of chocolate covered apples, bananas and strawberries.  Cam was notably excited and the fruit was a welcome treat!
In the late afternoon, Miss Kaylee arrived to hang out with Cam while Chris and Jane enjoyed an early evening out.
It seems no matter what we are going through at the moment, especially when we fall, our friends we call family, are always there to pick us up!

Camology Quotes:

While Jane was packing for her work trip, she excitedly placed a pair of boots on Cam's tray to show her son and husband.  Cam's single contemplative word...
"Interesting..."