Update on the Health of a Small Boy

Things are not going so good down here, folks. Jamie went to his pediatric gastroenterologist yesterday, and I'm not at all encouraged by recent developments. We went down there and took the doc Jamie's test results stating that he was positive for H. Pylori (that nasty little bug we'd discussed in an earlier blog post). The doctor made a few noncommittal "hmms" and "uh-huhs" at that. The he asked Jamie again where his stomach hurts when he has pain. Jamie showed him (near the belly button). The the doctor asked me how severe the pain seemed to be. I said, "Bad enough that he's literally on the floor screaming, curled up in a ball, which prompted me to take him to the E.R., where he had those tests," I said, pointing to the lab results we'd brought down with us.

Then the doctor starts poking around on Jamie's stomach, and gets a funny look on his face. He turns to me and, rapid-fire, starts asking me questions. "Does he have headaches? Has he been vomiting? Has he been less energetic than usual?" Of course, the answers were "yes, yes, and yes". Then he says, "okay, I'm ordering a endoscopy and a biopsy. My first opening is in two weeks, and we need to do it then. We should not wait."

Am I missing something here? The more I think back on things, Jamie didn't start having his migraines until after his stomach issues started back last year. Jamie has either thrown up or almost thrown up every single day for the past month. Jamie does not run around with as much gusto as he used to, and he is still tired when I wake him up in the morning, no matter how early he went to bed the night before.

Naturally, I ask the doctor what's going on. And, of course, he doesn't give me any answer other than a noncommittal, "I want to check some things out." Grrrrrr! I know, I know, doctors don't like to scare their patients (or the mommas of their patients) with "maybes". But still, he's freaked me out more by his reaction and complete change in his demeanor from previous visits. Also, it doesn't help that - with so many close family members who have died from some form of cancer or another - that possibility is always lurking in the back of my mind, a dark spectre that haunts my dreams and constantly has me checking over my shoulder.

Another thing that doesn't help is that, as the nurse explained to me, I can't be there with Jamie when they're doing the endoscopy. I can't stay with him and hold his hand. I know he'll be asleep, but I would still rather be there with my baby while they do the procedure. Sitting there in the waiting room will be torture for me. Then, the nurse just HAD to run down the list of possible things that could go wrong during the procedure. For liability reasons, I know she was required to inform me before the procedure, but still. Can you please not make me more paranoid than I already am? Please?

I know there are several of us in the blogosphere who have some serious family and/or health issues going on right now, but I would appreciate thoughts, prayers, positivity, whatever you want to call it, on July 1. Love you all, and you are all in my prayers.