And He said unto me, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
2 Corinthians 12:9

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

MAYO Clinic- Day 2

Whew!!!!!  What an amazing day!  Praise the Lord!  

Clinically speaking, we did not have much to report yesterday.  Today was our first day to truly get a taste of what Mayo has to offer.  WOW!  Part of the focus here is to have a team approach and we saw that in action.  Our neuro scheduled quite a few tests that led to other appts, then those appts. led to the scheduling of more tests, etc...each doctor has spent no less than two hours with us.

Thanks to you amazing prayer warriors we were able to not only knock out today's schedule of tests, but we in fact were able to knock out many of the appointments and tests that were originally scheduled for the next couple of days. THANK YOU and PRAISE THE LORD!!!

We still have a lot more tests that need to take place and doc appts that need to be moved up...however, we saw the Lord's hand working today in making so much happen.  So, we're ready to watch the miracle unfold tomorrow, as well.

We started the morning with blood work and then progressed to many of the cardio-focused tests that were ordered (i.e., confirming my POTS diagnosis, doing an ECG, & getting a Holter Monitor).

After our day was done, we realized that we were running low on our water (the water in our hotel comes out a foggy color-yuck) and so we needed to head to the store to get more.  So, taking advantage of the incredible weather, B pushed me in our borrowed wheel chair across Rochester to the local HyVee Supermarket.  For all you Texans, and those that know what triple digit temps are like in June, July, and August, let's just say that 85 and no humidity is, well...VERY NICE!!!!  I have actually had goose bumps for most of the trip.  B has been perfect & comfortable.  He is loving it!  Hopefully, we can bring some of the cooler temps back home to the Big D.

Since I have to take every meal with me, we have had coolers attached to the wheelchair the entire time.  On our way back from the store, we heard a man say, "Gig 'Em Aggies!"  We had our A&M cooler hanging on the wheelchair and he saw it as we passed him.  Turns out he was a student at A&M & his daughter was there while B & I were, as well.  He also grew up in New Braunfels and was a life guard at T Bar M (this is the camp that B grew up attending and worked at through college).  Such a small world.

I had one appt. this afternoon with a physician that happens to be from Texas.  So, we had fun with that connection.  While we were meeting with him, he actually showed me the results from my autonomic tests & other labs from this morning.


The basic findings are:
  • I do have POTS (we should learn more about this from the specialist tomorrow when we meet with him).
  • He believes my thyroid levels are good, but it is still clear that it is autoimmune.  We have an endo consult and hope they can elaborate.
  • He doesn't see the seizures as being an issue for...
  • Oh, during one of the scans that he ran today, this is what he found:
 YEP, it's a baby!!
 A 10-wk old baby!!!

This is one of the many reasons that we were thrilled to be coming to Mayo.  We found out in May that we have a little one on the way!  Since we lost our first baby (in 2005) at around 8wks, we have been cautiously optimistic.  We have been seeing many different high risk OBs over the last few weeks to see what risks come with seizures, the Ketogenic Diet, and pregnancy!!

The high risk OB was the doc that we saw today and he said that he's not that concerned...the fact that I'm not able to be physically active without triggering seizures is his biggest concern because I could get blood clots.  However, he seemed very excited for us and confident!!!  So, we felt it was time to share the news and get our precious prayer warriors on their knees for this beautiful new life growing inside of us!!!

We have a meeting with his dietitian on Thursday and one with the Keto dietitian on Friday.  We are hoping they can get together and come up with a good plan!  The other great news is that my seizures have decreased since becoming pregnant!  So, we are praising the Lord, not only for the miracle of life, but the miracle of reduced seizures!!

We'll post more later, but wanted to share the fun & exciting news with our prayer warriors!!!

13 comments:

  1. Oh, that's so WONDERFUL! I have tears in my eyes!! I'm continuing to pray for your time there to give you some answers and now I'll add "little-bit" to that as well!!

    Much love - Lesley

    ReplyDelete
  2. definitely the most exciting news today for me... congrats on the littlest fox!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh WOW!!! We're so excited for you guys!! I haven't read the blog in a few days, and was SUPER SHOCKED!! We'll be continuing to pray for all THREE of you!

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a wonderful surprise!! So overjoyed for the both of you!
    So thankful for the timing of your Mayo visit. So wonderful to already be getting answers and having the resources to help you with baby FOX (!!) as well!
    Praying...

    ReplyDelete
  5. WOW!! I was blown away with the news. Congrats to you three! Can't wait to meet the future Aggie. We will be praying for you.
    - The Zaceks

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi M & B,

    WOW, that is great news, it is about time for something good to come your way, congratulations! It will be nice to welcome another baby into the Fox family!- Will this be my second cousin? I am glad you are at the Mayo Clinic and getting some great care, sad you couldn't make it to the clinic in Scottsdale so I could see you, but Rochester is SO much better in the summer! 109 today, yikes! My thoughts and prayers are with you.

    Love you guys!
    Kristiana

    ReplyDelete
  7. What amazing news! I am so excited for you! The blessing of a life is the most precious of gods gifts.

    ReplyDelete
  8. So SO happy for you guys! Nothing better then a little blessing from God. Praying for that sweet baby and that God will heal Meredith. I know pregnancy can do weird things....Ht healed my tumor after my pregnancy. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wow, wow, wow!! Amazing. Praying for a healthy little life inside and for healing for you, M. And sorry the one doc wasn't so nice the other day - eek. But, otherwise so happy for you guys...

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wow what a amazing surprise!!! Our GOD is so Awesome!!!! Praising His Name for the great things He has done and continues to do in your lives. Thank You Dear Precious Savior for Your out pouring of love on Ben and Meredith, for your constant provision and for this precious miracle baby, I pray for your continued hand to carry this pregnancy to the end with a healthy and happy baby as we all glorify your name for what you have done! Continue to pray for healing of Meredith and thank you for the Mayo clinic, we pray for answers through these physicians. We Praise You God our Father! Love Adrianne

    ReplyDelete
  11. Meredith & Ben,
    I missed this post somehow b/c my blog reader was only putting a small portion of your posts up. Anyway, I am ecstatic for you two (3)! Praise our Father in Heaven! Will be praying for baby's health as well as Meredith's continued process of healing!

    ReplyDelete
  12. WOW - a baby!!! So exciting! You are in our prayers!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Praise the Lord I have been praying for God to bless you with the joys of a child. Here you are now.....God is so good! We are praying for answers, healing and good health for both you and baby Fox!

    In Christ GiGi

    ReplyDelete