Some weeks seem longer than others . . .

The weight check on Wednesday showed a positive gain of 6 ounces in the past two weeks. Choo choo- Chugging in the right direction again.

On Friday, Toby reported to the U of M bright and early for the CT scan and bronchoscopy. His pulmonologist was looking to find out why he continues to breathe faster than would be expected for his age. She found airways which are narrow and "floppy". Normal airways would be wider, allowing more air flow, and less flexible, not expanding and collapsing with each breath. So the answer to the question is that Toby breathes faster because Toby is still working harder. The solution is (drumroll please)- continue to let him grow out of it. She also did some deep cleaning while she was down there, removing some pockets of mucous. She says the lung tissue is quite fragile and it is also important to continue with the inhaled steroid treatments. She is no longer planning to try to wean him off the supplemental oxygen this winter.

An unexpected finding was a small cyst at the top of his airway. Now it sounds like a bit of a party was going on in the exam room as the reported number of people in there was in the teens. Included was an ear, nose and throat specialist who had joined the merry band after becoming interested in the case as it was discussed in the hallway en route to the procedure. He was able to deal with it immediately while Toby was already under anesthesia so the cyst has already been drained and sent for analysis. How perfect is God's timing?

The unexpected procedure did mean an overnight stay for observation. Toby got a chance to become reacquainted with some of the wonderful staff on Mott 5west and Grandma got an surprise slumber party.

Toby has had no problems. He is home again and thrilled to be released from all the additional restraints. (In addition to the oxygen tubing, he had an iv in his arm, four wires to his chest and one to his foot. Plus, from time to time, his tube feeding. Movement was difficult- but just try to keep a 1 1/2 year old still!) I think we are all glad to have this grand adventure behind us and are ready for a few monotonous days at home.