Coopy had a checkup with our favorite pulmonologist a few weeks ago and things went so freaking well. I wasn't necessarily worried about this appointment but we were getting chest x-rays done for the first time in almost a year. We haven't had a chest x-ray since the day Dr. G agreed that SMA was the likely culprit of Coop's muscle weakness.
He had told us in October that he would be looking at his lung function as well as looking for the beginning signs of scoliosis in his spine. We've noticed a very slight curve every now and then and this was going to be the best way to determine if there really is a curve developing or if it's just the way Coop sits sometime.
If you've ever had a small child that's had a chest x-ray then I'm sure you can imagine the anxiety I was feeling leading up to this appointment. Chest x-rays are brutal. Traumatizing for everybody involved. They place child on a seat that looks like it's from a bicycle, then raise their arms and wrap them in some sort of plastic torture contraption that immediately sends the child into a panic. Then the screaming starts. So while I wasn't overly concerned about what the images were going to show us, I was super stressed about the experience itself.
But it was so freaking easy! He's too big for the bicycle seat of horror! They just had him sit on these little steps and keep his hands at his side. Easy peasy. We were in and out within 10 minutes. Then we headed upstairs to see Dr. G. He looked over the images of Coop's chest and seemed to be really happy with how everything looked. Last year there were several "pockets" in Cooper's right lung that had essentially collapsed because he wasn't able to clear the entire airway. This time there were only a couple spots that weren't necessarily collapsed, but it was obvious that he still isn't able to clear the entire airway just yet. The doctor told us he may never be able to fully clear it but continuing his cough assist machine should help him.
He also didn't see much of a curve in Coop's spine! This was huge news because scoliosis is such a huge issue in kiddos with a weaker core. He did say that it isn't really an if he develops scoliosis but when. But for now things look really good!
Other than that, we just need to continue regular checkups and monitoring of his spine. And we're going to do a sleep study in the fall to be sure there aren't any issues happening while he sleeps that we aren't aware of.
On our way out of the hospital, we stopped to put Cooper's coat on and he noticed an image on the wall above the main entrance. It was of a boy standing on a stool wearing a cape and two kids in line behind him. One of those kids was a little girl in a wheelchair. Cooper got so excited about it. He yelled "Look Mommy! A wheelchair! Just like me and my big wheelchair!" It made my heart so happy that he was able to see a child like him represented. He's never met anyone else in a wheelchair. I'd never thought about that before. Whether or not he realizes it, he's completely different than anyone he's ever met before. Except that little girl. Because that little girl was in a wheelchair just like him.
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