Medical Stories

Why We Are Donating Our Son’s Umbilical Cord Blood (After Storing it for 13 Years)

January 25, 2017
Umbilical cord

[NOTE: I used the least gross picture of an umbilical cord that I could find.] When I was pregnant with Big Dude back in 1997, I didn’t know anything about umbilical cord blood and why people might pay to store it. However, when I was pregnant again two years later, I started to hear more about it […]

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The Incredible Growing Dude

November 18, 2014

#179465255 / gettyimages.com Based on the title of my post, I bet you think I’m going to talk about my biggest dude – the one who’s 6 foot 8 and who everyone keeps asking if he’s “done” growing…well, no, I’m not going to discuss his height and no, we don’t know if he’s done growing […]

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Bye Bye Bactrim!

October 7, 2014

#161933987 / gettyimages.com Yesterday at his check-up, Little Dude was told that he no longer needs to take his 3 day a week Bactrim pill. As my three loyal readers may recall in this post, Little Dude has had a long and frustrating relationship with that Bactrim pill, going from an hour long process to […]

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Oh Look, It’s Another Medical Bill!

August 5, 2014
Drowning under a mountain of paper

If you or a family member has ever been hospitalized or needed long-term treatment of any kind, you’ve likely been subjected to the piles and piles — and I mean PILES — of medical bills that flood your mailbox. What’s that you say? Do I have medical coverage? Well, yeah! Except medical coverage doesn’t actually […]

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Post-Treatment Follow-Up…The List Keeps Growing!

May 13, 2014
Contact lens

Now that Little Dude is finished with his treatment, our visits to the hospital are only once a month, instead of twice a week. So, that’s good and makes our life a lot less hectic. Or so I thought. Now, we are playing “catch-up” with all the other health-related maintenance that we put off for […]

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A Tale of Two Brothers Having Blood Drawn

April 15, 2014
January 6 - Blood Drawn

For the past ten months, Little Dude has needed to have his blood drawn twice a week in order to monitor his blood counts during treatment. For some kids, this could be traumatic. Little Dude, fortunately, has not had a problem with it and casually offers up his arm to the phlebotomist each time. His […]

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The End-of-Treatment Gift

April 1, 2014
FIFA Soccer Manager

This week Little Dude had his second to last treatment — only one more to go in late April! Aside from yelling a “hallelujah” from the rooftops, we feel we need to commemorate the occasion with a gift (or two or three…) for Little Dude. When I first discussed this with him a few months […]

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Just call me Nurse Emily

March 25, 2014

Right after Little Dude’s initial diagnosis (last June…), one of the nurses was explaining to me all the different medications he would be given, plus the ones I would have to administer at home. Then she joked that I would be almost like a trained nurse in no time. The thing is, I never wanted […]

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When Physical Therapy Also Becomes Nosy Hour

March 19, 2014
LANDSTUHL, Germany (Oct. 16, 2008) Physical th...

Little Dude has been going to physical therapy because one of his medications has a side effect of neuropathy. Yeah, I didn’t know what that was either, but basically it affects his nerves and can make it more difficult to walk, write, catch a ball, etc. The good news is it’s reversible and the even […]

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The Curious Eating Habits Of A Boy In Treatment

January 14, 2014
English: Sprite 375 mL cans - 24 pack

When Little Dude began treatment about seven months ago, the doctors warned us that his eating habits may change. In fact, they told us a story about one little boy who would only eat one thing for the entire course of his year-long treatment: Cool Ranch Doritos. His mother had to buy it in caseloads […]

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A Plea To Lebron James and The Miami Heat

October 29, 2013
Miami Heat logo

If there could be any “perks” to having a tumor, then having a wish granted by the “Make-A-Wish” foundation is THE perk of all perks. I had no idea that Little Dude was even eligible, but apparently any kid, no matter what the diagnosis, who has to undergo long-term treatment for a serious illness can […]

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