Hey friends, I have some info about Asher that hasn't been completely public, but I wanted to put it on here to make sure everyone knows what's going on.
Last summer Asher began having rectal prolapse about every week (sometimes more, sometimes less) and throughout the fall/winter it was pretty minimal with the help of using MiraLax. However, his Dr now has become a little more concerned after seeing an actual photo of what was happening - yes, we had to take a photo, kinda yucky - and now we're taking steps to find out what the actual problem is. About 33% of people who have rectal prolapse have Cystic Fibrosis. I know lots of people have heard about CF but only really in regards to severe cases - it may not be as awful as it is portrayed, more details below. Asher was tested last Friday but we have yet to receive any results, despite being told we'd hear from them on Friday evening. It is a pretty specialized test, basically not used for anything other than testing for CF, so we had to drive to Salem to get it done.
It was not too bad. They put little discs of a substance connected to little electrodes that make a small area of the arm sweat. Then, after 5 min of that, they strap on a little disc that gathers the sweat over the next 30 min. Once collected, they measure the amount of chloride in the sweat. You see, people with CF don't absorb salt or fat, so their sweat is EXTRA salty compared to people without CF. That is also where all the coughing comes in... salt helps break down mucous in the body, and without enough salt, mucous builds up in many areas, especially the lungs. That is why people with CF cough a lot (mucous and often blood from the intensity) and suffer from different respiratory infections.
So, Asher doesn't really have any other symptoms at this point besides his skin tasting salty sometimes. He does cough a bit sometimes after his naps, but not enough to really alarm me when he doesn't have a cold or something. However, Ash does sweat a lot during his naps and nighttime, so the saltiness could just be from that. Somehow, I have almost complete peace in this. While it feels a bit weird knowing that this week I'll have this piece of information either changing our lives or just redirecting the Dr's efforts, I'm really not worried. God never promises anyone a certain amount of years. And if Ash does have CF, God knows it and He already knew before he was formed inside of me. Even from a worldly standpoint, if Ash does have CF, he does not have a severe case (at least for now) and many people with mild cases live even until their 60's with this disease. I know that in the worst case scenario, God will glorify Himself through our family and through Asher. And best case scenario, God is still glorified and we are so thankful for the peace He's given us!
I will likely post again once I have results from the Dr. Pray that God continues to give me peace. And while you're at it, pray that God gives me wisdom in parenting Asher lately - 3 has definitely been worse than two! ;) He's emotional, expressive, demanding and particular - whew! We've had some rough outings lately! While we have our rough days, I can tell he is learning and growing in new ways every day. Some of the things he says just crack me up!! The other day, Ash was asking Mark to pick him up, after which Asher says "Now I can see EVERYTHING!" And the way he always asks if he can come running with me or tries to mimic my exercises... we sure do love this kid! Here's a pic from our last trip to the beach... hopefully more trips with be in the near future!!!
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