A Personal Request
Just wanted to check in on this gloomy Friday and let everyone know what's going on around Creek Bank.
Julie is currently with her 18 year old son, Brye, at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. Brye has had constant back pain for the last several years. Julie and her husband, Tom, were feeling like they weren't getting any answers from local doctors so they made an appointment at Mayo.
Here's a post (see below) from Julie's personal blog Healing Journey. They got some news yesterday and I think sharing her post is easier than me trying to explain it all.
Since they will be staying at the Ronald McDonald house for a few weeks, I'm asking everyone to send a card to them, letting them we're all know we are thinking and praying for them. (A hand made card would be outstanding. It would make Julie's day as she loves hand made stuff but any card will do.) If you can't send a card, send her an email (creekbc@comcast.net) or post a comment on her blog or here, it'll really lift her spirts. If you don't want to send it in the mail to her, please feel free to drop them off at the store on Fridays and we'll send them to her.
I'm also asking everyone who is signed up for our crop on the 30th to make a card at the crop or bring one with you. I will be giving a special treat to anyone who participates! : )
Here's the address:
The Ronald McDonald House
Guest: The Creek Family room 202
850 2nd street southwest
Rochester, MN 55902
Here's her post. She also told me to share her blog address http://tjbcreek.blogspot.com with anyone who is interested so feel free to pass it on:
Friday, January 22, 2010
The Appointment
Our appointment was Jan 19th. Brye and I made the trip up by ourselves as Tom had business to take care of in Texas. I was ok with this..Tom had assured me that if anything happened he would be here pronto...
Our first appointments were with neuro and he told us he couldn't find anything wrong. From his vantage everything was great. I expressed to him at that point, that lots of doctors tell us everything looks great, but that doesn't resolve the fact that I have a child who is in pain and up to this point no one is answering the WHY. He and I both agreed we should see orthopedics, and we already had an appointment with the pain clinic.
The pain clinic was Wed. and that was a good day. The doctors were great, and encouraged Brye to change some meds, work on exercising and find a way to live life with pain. Brye was encouraged, and we both were thinking we would chat with ortho the next day and head home.
Thursday was our Orthopedic visit day. Mayo had taken full images of Brye's back to get a look at scolicious and so the doctor had those x rays. He spent a great deal of time explaining to us WHY he did not think the back pain was from the leg length issue...and that made since to me. He then said that as he looked through x rays he noticed that every x ray taken from June forward where either of the upper shoulder...or lower back. No recent x rays of the middle back. He didn't like what he was seeing in the standard full back x rays he had...and wanted an mri and cat scan so he could see better what was going on.
Hours later we knew...there is a large hole in the middle of Brye's back ...picture a circle running over two vertabrae right in the middle of Brye's back. The vertabrae are a totally different color than any others...and the disk is basically gone. So at this point we are looking for WHAT is causing the problem.
We are headed for a needle biopsy today (Friday) at 9am to try and pull fluid out of the spot and see what it is. If you are a person who prays...please pray that they get the fluid OUT they need today so we do not have to have surgery to figure this out.
The doctor has laid out four possible problems: degenerative arthritis, infection of the bone, cancer or tumor, or TB.
The doctor was pretty sure it was not cancer because to quote him " your son would already be dead".
My gut feeling is that the issue is infection.
In either case...we are looking at a back surgery that will involve taking out and replacing the two vertabrae that are damaged. The doctor said these vertabrae are so bad that they are in danger of chattering and breaking...which could mean they puncture the spine wall and pierce the spinal cord..causing Brye to be paralized.
We will now next Monday late in the day the tests results and the doctor is hoping that if it is NOT cancer we will have surgery by late next week. If we have cancer it will be a totally different story.
This surgery will be a 9-12 hour surgery and involve a 5 day hospital stay at St. Mary's hospital here in Rochester. (just blocks from Mayo clinic).
We are staying at Ronald McDonald House here in Rochester. If you aren't familiar with Ronald McDonald House...let me just say this organization is unbelieveable in what they provide and give to families. Coming here was hard because we came here 13 years ago with our daughter Kelsey. The biggest fear I had about this trip was coming to Ronald McDonald House. We had stayed in a hotel up until last night ...and so yesterday coming here was a thing loaded with emtional baggage for me. I was doing fine...then these folks who were giving so much to us already.... brought out a cart full of blankets handmade by volunteers...they told Brye he could choose any blanket he wanted. That was all it took for me to break down and ball like a baby. These folks just give and give and give and give. Words can not begin to express how thankful we are for what is really a home away from home for our family.
Our Address here:
The Ronald McDonald House
Guest: The Creek Family room 202
850 2nd street southwest
Rochester, MN 55902
Together Tom, Brye and I have already walked a difficult road in life which has been strewn with pain, heartache and grief. What we've learned on this healing journey is that we have a God who cares for us. God hasn't promised us an easy road, but if you read what he says in the bible he says he will be our comfort and our strength. So as I sit here crying and typing and wishing it were all different for Brye ,we have already lived through KNOWING God's care and comfort.
Today's prayer request: Please let the doctors get the fluid they need from this needle biopsy.
Pray for Tom as he travels here today.
Tom, Julie and Brye
Posted by creek at 4:35 AM
Julie is currently with her 18 year old son, Brye, at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. Brye has had constant back pain for the last several years. Julie and her husband, Tom, were feeling like they weren't getting any answers from local doctors so they made an appointment at Mayo.
Here's a post (see below) from Julie's personal blog Healing Journey. They got some news yesterday and I think sharing her post is easier than me trying to explain it all.
Since they will be staying at the Ronald McDonald house for a few weeks, I'm asking everyone to send a card to them, letting them we're all know we are thinking and praying for them. (A hand made card would be outstanding. It would make Julie's day as she loves hand made stuff but any card will do.) If you can't send a card, send her an email (creekbc@comcast.net) or post a comment on her blog or here, it'll really lift her spirts. If you don't want to send it in the mail to her, please feel free to drop them off at the store on Fridays and we'll send them to her.
I'm also asking everyone who is signed up for our crop on the 30th to make a card at the crop or bring one with you. I will be giving a special treat to anyone who participates! : )
Here's the address:
The Ronald McDonald House
Guest: The Creek Family room 202
850 2nd street southwest
Rochester, MN 55902
Here's her post. She also told me to share her blog address http://tjbcreek.blogspot.com with anyone who is interested so feel free to pass it on:
Friday, January 22, 2010
The Appointment
Our appointment was Jan 19th. Brye and I made the trip up by ourselves as Tom had business to take care of in Texas. I was ok with this..Tom had assured me that if anything happened he would be here pronto...
Our first appointments were with neuro and he told us he couldn't find anything wrong. From his vantage everything was great. I expressed to him at that point, that lots of doctors tell us everything looks great, but that doesn't resolve the fact that I have a child who is in pain and up to this point no one is answering the WHY. He and I both agreed we should see orthopedics, and we already had an appointment with the pain clinic.
The pain clinic was Wed. and that was a good day. The doctors were great, and encouraged Brye to change some meds, work on exercising and find a way to live life with pain. Brye was encouraged, and we both were thinking we would chat with ortho the next day and head home.
Thursday was our Orthopedic visit day. Mayo had taken full images of Brye's back to get a look at scolicious and so the doctor had those x rays. He spent a great deal of time explaining to us WHY he did not think the back pain was from the leg length issue...and that made since to me. He then said that as he looked through x rays he noticed that every x ray taken from June forward where either of the upper shoulder...or lower back. No recent x rays of the middle back. He didn't like what he was seeing in the standard full back x rays he had...and wanted an mri and cat scan so he could see better what was going on.
Hours later we knew...there is a large hole in the middle of Brye's back ...picture a circle running over two vertabrae right in the middle of Brye's back. The vertabrae are a totally different color than any others...and the disk is basically gone. So at this point we are looking for WHAT is causing the problem.
We are headed for a needle biopsy today (Friday) at 9am to try and pull fluid out of the spot and see what it is. If you are a person who prays...please pray that they get the fluid OUT they need today so we do not have to have surgery to figure this out.
The doctor has laid out four possible problems: degenerative arthritis, infection of the bone, cancer or tumor, or TB.
The doctor was pretty sure it was not cancer because to quote him " your son would already be dead".
My gut feeling is that the issue is infection.
In either case...we are looking at a back surgery that will involve taking out and replacing the two vertabrae that are damaged. The doctor said these vertabrae are so bad that they are in danger of chattering and breaking...which could mean they puncture the spine wall and pierce the spinal cord..causing Brye to be paralized.
We will now next Monday late in the day the tests results and the doctor is hoping that if it is NOT cancer we will have surgery by late next week. If we have cancer it will be a totally different story.
This surgery will be a 9-12 hour surgery and involve a 5 day hospital stay at St. Mary's hospital here in Rochester. (just blocks from Mayo clinic).
We are staying at Ronald McDonald House here in Rochester. If you aren't familiar with Ronald McDonald House...let me just say this organization is unbelieveable in what they provide and give to families. Coming here was hard because we came here 13 years ago with our daughter Kelsey. The biggest fear I had about this trip was coming to Ronald McDonald House. We had stayed in a hotel up until last night ...and so yesterday coming here was a thing loaded with emtional baggage for me. I was doing fine...then these folks who were giving so much to us already.... brought out a cart full of blankets handmade by volunteers...they told Brye he could choose any blanket he wanted. That was all it took for me to break down and ball like a baby. These folks just give and give and give and give. Words can not begin to express how thankful we are for what is really a home away from home for our family.
Our Address here:
The Ronald McDonald House
Guest: The Creek Family room 202
850 2nd street southwest
Rochester, MN 55902
Together Tom, Brye and I have already walked a difficult road in life which has been strewn with pain, heartache and grief. What we've learned on this healing journey is that we have a God who cares for us. God hasn't promised us an easy road, but if you read what he says in the bible he says he will be our comfort and our strength. So as I sit here crying and typing and wishing it were all different for Brye ,we have already lived through KNOWING God's care and comfort.
Today's prayer request: Please let the doctors get the fluid they need from this needle biopsy.
Pray for Tom as he travels here today.
Tom, Julie and Brye
Posted by creek at 4:35 AM
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