Scared for my son. Please help w/comments *Update 4/16*

[Medusa]

I can see both sides of this one.

It isn't that I don't understand why the dr. wants to do further testing. I just didn't like that she so flippantly blurted out what it could be. Until she knew for certain, she could've said "Let's just wait and see and not panic right now. We've got further testing to do." To put those words into his head (and mine) was terrifying and not easily erased.

[Medusa]

I just spoke w/my son and he feels that he's at 40%. He can now open the door w/his left hand, although not as easily as w/his right. He said he could take the cap off his pen but when he was talking w/me, he tried and couldn't do it at first, then he managed to do it. He washed his hair for the first time in a week but he wasn't able to scrub it the way he likes to but so far all he had been able to do is let the water run over his head. He said washing dishes is tricky. He can't hold the dish w/his left hand, he has to put it in the sink and wash it w/his right. He goes back to the walk-in clinic tomorrow for more blood tests and the results. He won't relax until he hears good news, even though the neurologist ruled out ALS, MS and many other too scary diseases to even mention. But as I said earlier, those words stayed in my mind and I haven't been able to erase them or the fear that goes w/them since that dr. said it and I know my son hasn't been able to either. So. Will you all please continue and even bump up your prayers for my son, that all will go well tomorrow and that we'll have some more good news so that we can exhale? I'm so tense that I can't even go to the bathroom.

[Karen]

Hey, progress is good! A little better each day is all we ask, right?

[catfamily]

More Prayers on the way...they won't stop.

[gini]

For you it seems an eternity for the progress, but from here it really sounds good that he has improved by that much.

Continued prayers are very important! You have mine.

[Taz_Zoee]

You and your son have been and will continue to be in my thoughts.
I'm glad to hear he is starting to feel better. Slowly but surely.

[Medusa]

I spoke to my dr. who is also a family friend and he told me that he feels that my son's progress is good news and that he has seen cases where it took 3-6 weeks just to see the results that my son has seen. He also said that the dr. who freaked him out about what it could be unfortunately just had her own "style", as he put it. He said "I wouldn't have said that but sometimes patients do push you for a possible diagnosis and then they regret it later". I said "Well, my son didn't push, she volunteered the info and then she added insult to injury by laughing when he freaked out about it". He also said that he feels my son will be back to 100% and not have a recurrence of it if it is indeed "acute viral mysositis". Tomorrow's blood tests will tell us more.

So I called my son to tell him what my dr. said and he said "Well, I actually have the strength to pass gas. My abdomen was so weak before that I couldn't do it. You know me, Mom. I'm a farter." That really made me laugh and that made him laugh and that's what we both needed, a good laugh. (He would absolutely kill me if he knew I was posting this.) He was carrying in a couple of bags of groceries and he said "Let me call you right back, Mom. I've got to put these groceries down." So he had strength to do that and he said that his arms didn't feel as weak or tired and they weren't burning from carrying the bags. But he still has the weakness in his left arm and hand. He was worried about it possibly having been a stroke but my dr. reassured me that, if the neurologist thought that, he would've ordered an MRI because he'd be able to tell whether there were tell tale signs just from the examination.

So. All good signs. Donna (moosmom) told me to call her if I need to and I did (before I talked to my son) and I had a meltdown. I needed that, too. I've been wound tighter than a drum for over a week now, feeling like a lousy mom for not being w/my boy. But he keeps reassuring me that there's really nothing I can do for him anyhow. Yeah, except hug him. A lot. But I'll get to do that again this spring when he comes home for another visit. Am I ever gonna cook up a storm for that boy!

Anyhow, just thought I should post something positive since I've been crying so much on PT. Thanx for listening and all the reassuring words, friends. I owe ya. And I'll report again tomorrow after I hear the results of his blood work. Now if I can just get a good night's sleep under my belt.