An Update on Errol's Health

We went to see Errol’s pediatrician, Susan Hunsinger (Amazing!!! Brilliant! Compassionate!) last Friday and she diagnosed a return of pinkeye, and a new case of the croup. She gave him more steroid injections (bye-bye baseball career) for his croup and new meds for his eyes. Poor Errol. And through all of his sickness, exams, drops in the eye, and shots in the thigh, he doesn’t complain nearly as much as I do.

Despite the new meds Errol wasn’t getting better. And then Errol woke up early Tuesday morning in a pool of his own blood. He’s been in a lot of pain lately, hasn’t wanted to eat much, and has been drooling and grinding his teeth a whole lot. So we went back to the doctor on Tuesday about that blood and Errol was diagnosed with an ulcer in his esophagus (which accounts for the discomfort and the blood). So we’re on new meds (an antacid and an ulcer coating medicine) that will make him feel better, and we are going to Greensboro on Friday to see a gastro-intestinal doctor (yes, the esophagus is gastro-intestinal – who’d a thunk it!) 

The G-I doctor wants to go in and scope the ulcer, but that requires a procedure with local anesthetic administered through an IV and any time Errol gets on an IV it’s bad news, infections, and a stay in the hospital. We are trying to weigh the costs and benefits of the procedure. Errol and Owen don’t like the idea either.

The new medicines (added to his Coumadin, aspirin, Zantac, and vitamins) are making Errol feel better, but his brother Owen is, understandably, nervous.

Last night I asked Owen how he was feeling, and he said, 

“I’m nervous, Daddy.”

I asked him what he was nervous about,

“Errol going to the hospital.”

I told Owen that it wasn’t going to be a long hospital stay like last time and asked him what would make him feel better.

“I’m going to make Errol a book, Daddy.”

Last night Owen made an I Love Errol book. He wrote loving words and drew beautiful pictures on a few pages of paper and then stapled the book together.

Owen loves Mama and Daddy and Errol, Owen wrote, over a picture of the whole family together in our house.

It’s a long road, and nobody wants Errol to get well more than Owen.