Well, I guess it's about time to update! After the last update, a few things have happened...

August 10-17, Frank, Frankie and I were actually able to take our first official family vacation! Since we were going to be in North Carolina the week of August 18th, we decided to go to the Outer Banks for a week before Frankie's 3-year post transplant visit.

In all actuality, we hemmed and hawed right up until the day we were going on vacation. Frankie wasn't feeling 100% and the risk of being somewhere that far from Yale (12 hours) and Duke (4 hours), unfamiliar and unable to give anything but his stress dose, posed a very difficult question... do we dare???

So, the short story is this... we made it through vacation! Frankie started to get grumpy Thursday (August 14), but only between 4:00pm and 7:30pm... it was weird. At 7:30pm, he'd totally turn around and get giddy and silly. We thought he was tired, then we thought he was sick, then we thought he was home-sick. He did this every night while we were in North Carolina from that Thursday on. But, at least that was all he did!

So, while on vacation, he swam in the pool and ocean. We went to the aquarium, on a boat tour, an old fort, historic towns... an actual family vacation! And, every morning, we were happy we made it through the night without incident!

From August 18-22, we were in Durham for Frankie's 3-year post transplant visit. And, there's really not much to update about that. The visit went without a hitch. Although, it has been determined that Frankie can no longer do the EEG (brain) without sedation.

We were able to have some "fun" time and see Jessie and her family while we were there. Cari and I arranged it so both families could be down there the same time. While we didn't get to see each other after clinic and hospital appointments (Jessie wasn't feeling so great, and neither was Frankie), we did get some moments at the appointments when we could visit! And, we're planning something this fall so we can have a more relaxed (is that possible???) time out! We also got to see two of Frankie's transplant nurses while we were there, Jenn and Chris.

So, the summary of the visit was that his heart seemed to be a tad bit weak. We were to schedule a repeat EKG when we got home. We did that, and the results were much, much better.

Frankie also needs a sedated hearing test, as the normal hearing tests bore him now (he could care less about a clapping bear). So, that's scheduled for September 25th. If necessary, the doctor will also put in PE Tubes.

Frankie did show some signs of seizure activity (EEG), but nothing to be alarmed about just yet. The doctors said to start "worrying" when we can actually see that he's having one. My concern is that I'm not going to know what one looks like when it comes. But, so far, I haven't seen anything too alarming.

So, now we're back home. Frankie's in school 5 days a week!! Woo Hoo! Four of the five days are longer (8:30-1:45). On Friday, he gets out at 11:30am. Within a day of being back at school, he contracted conjunctivitis and is now fighting off the cold I gave him this week. Such a trooper. But, unless he has a fever and is vomiting, the school still wants him to attend.

With my new-found time, I've put in applications at various retail stores in the area. I'm hoping to at least get some seasonal work, if anything.

Oh, and on Sunday, September 14th, we were woken up by Frankie vomiting.... off to the ED. Apparently, heavy potato french fries just sit in his stomach. Nothing happened at the ED. No stress dose, no fluids... just hanging out at the ED to make sure he didn't have an adrenal crash. It just turned out that he had a belly ache, and I can only surmise that it was from the french fries he had the day before.

And, my girlfriend, Marissa, had her 30th birthday on Sunday, and got engaged! :) CONGRATS!!

I think that's about it... :)

Frankie had PE Tubes placed (ears) on Thursday. He also had a sedated hearing test done as the hearing tests done at Duke weren't conclusive because my little one doesn't really like to be so cooperative during those tests. Preliminary results show some hearing loss in both ears. We're going to revisit in a few weeks to make sure, before we spend the money on a hearing aid... sort of what happened when I spent over $300.00 on glasses he didn't need... yeah, right.

We went to clinic right after he recovered from the procedure. But, he wasn't exactly ready for food, as we quickly discovered. He vomited up what little applesauce and juice he had since getting out of recovery. And, he vomited again when he got home, between getting out of the car and before he got into the house (fortunately--easy cleanup). We kept an eye on him, but everything appeared fine as he was up and raring to go to school on Friday morning.

However, Saturday proved slightly different. To spare you of boring details, he woke up not feeling 100%. And, when he didn't appear to get any better (still vomiting and laying down falling in and out of sleep), I gave him his IM Stress Dose shot and we went to the Emergency Room. Two boluses of fluids later, he was better, but still not 100%. Against my better judgment, we went home. The entire night was a bit stressful, because I just felt like we were going to turn right around and go back to the ER. God must have been watching me and took mercy, because he slept well and woke up much more like himself on Sunday morning. And, today, he is still looking good.

So, last week, amidst all of this, I "celebrated" my 37th birthday. Well, sort of. Everyone has been sick in our house, and the cold/flu/crap just seems to keep recirculating itself. Frankie's surgery, etc... However, somehow, my wonderful husband, between bouts of not feeling well, managed to make me two birthday cakes... we had originally planned, before Saturday's trip to the ER, to have family over that night for pizza and cake(s). We had to cancel that, so now we have A LOT of dessert for not that many people! Oh well!

Well, I think that's about it... until next time!