The Difference a Diuretic Makes

The photo on the left is what Luke looked like on Saturday, the photo on the right was taken on Monday. The new diuretic delivered some much needed relief, but it seemed to have come with a price. On Saturday morning Luke received the new diuretic. On Sunday morning he looked like the picture on the right, but was vomiting all day and night. At first I thought it was the diuretic mixed with his Prednisone and Prograf, but have now come to realize that he had caught some type of stomach bug. Today, Tuesday, we are going to the pediatrician. I'm thinking it is the flu, but better safe than sorry. He has gone three days with no meds, which may have set us back with the Prograf, but will not hurt him in any other way. According to the nephrologist he Prednisone taper is at a low enough dose now that he will not suffer withdrawal symptoms if he misses doses. I am hoping we could just stop taking it, but of course we will do what the doctor suggests.

Luke looks really good, of course this is because he has thrown up everything in his body so there is no fluid to retain. I wish I could say this is what he looks like when he is not sick, but the truth is we do not know what he looks like. Since the start of this whole mess Luke has grown, and aged. The jump from age 2 to 3 is huge for a child, and their looks change during this time. So, when the Prednisone is stopped for good, and all the swelling goes away, we are not really sure what Luke will look like. Pa (my dad) once remarked that it is like he is frozen in time. This is truly how I felt. Like we were hitting the pause button until he went into remission, and then we could go back to our normal lives. This is our normal lives! I often have to remind myself to have him live his life as if he is not sick. I cannot keep putting things off and planing things for when he gets better, because it could be weeks, months, or even years. I need to teach him to live in the moment and do all the things we want to do when we want to do them.

Hopefully the flu subsides soon and no one else catches it! I do have to report that we lost Nemo. Luke has not even noticed, and even told Nee he has 3 fish?! Uncle Jimmy wants to buy a new Nemo, so maybe Luke will never catch on.

Please pray for Luke to be strong and continue to breeze through whatever may come next.