First off, I wanted to take the time to simply say thank you. Thank you to the person that is reading this. Thank you for being part of our journey and wanting to be here! I could never adequately express how grateful I am to be able to share our story and hopefully make some sort of impact in your life and in those that you choose to share our story with. It's been a bumpy ride these last few months, in terms of Nate's overall health, but we are always thankful that crazy thing in his head remains stable.
As in the previous post, Nate was able to recover from his tonsil surgery quite quickly. If you know someone that has an issue with their tonsils and qualifies for a tonsillotomy versus a tonsillectomy, go with the tonsillotomy! The entire process is much easier than the tonsillectomy.
Nate had his pre-op visit on May 3 prior to the dental surgery he was scheduled for. Everything checked out this time and he was good to go. Of course, in pure Nate fashion, he started to not feel well on May 7, and vomits three times throughout the afternoon into the evening. All I could do is shake my head...this kid just can't get a break. He handled himself well throughout the ordeal and was fine by Monday. Of course, I start to think does he have a stomach bug, is his head bothering him, what else could it be? I wish I could just simply think it's a virus that he picked up, but nope, my brain doesn't operate that way, nor does his diagnosis allow me to do that. One of the downsides to having a child with a brain tumor and hydrocephalus.
Nate and I had to head into Boston on Monday for his 6 month follow up with his neuro-opthamologist. I love her. She is so good with him! His eyes are perfect, as is his optic nerve. She is allowing him to move to yearly appointments which is music to my ears!
Yesterday, May 17 was his dental surgery. The week leading up to the surgery were stressful, due to our insurance company denying coverage for the medical portion of the surgery. Long story short, our previous insurance company had already approved it, but our insurance switched on April 1. It approved his tonsil surgery, but denied the dental one. They are saying that our benefits do not cover anesthesia for dental restoration. The appeal has been made and now we wait. Either way, he was getting the surgery, whether we have to pay for it, or they do. Thankfully, we are in a position where we can handle it. I'm frustrated with the entire process, but the surgery is over and done with. My kid finally can be pain-free and hopefully, start eating a normal (whatever that is!) diet.
I was definitely nervous going into this surgery because he's always had everything done at Boston Children's Hospital and this would be an entirely new process for him. Everyone that dealt with him, from the woman at registration, to each nurse, to the anesthesiologist, down to the dentist, was absolutely fabulous! I couldn't have asked for a better experience for Nate. My many thanks go out to Berkshire Pediatric Dentistry and the Crane Center. The entire surgery took just under 2 hours. Thankfully, she was able to save all of his affected teeth. She was able to fill 5 teeth and only have to cap 2 of them. I was so happy that he woke up in good spirits afterwards and was his normal silly self by the afternoon. He is simply amazing.
Since we are still in the middle of Brain Tumor Awareness month, I wanted to give an update. We are just under the $60,000 mark which makes my heart swell. If you are not affected by being in the brain tumor world, consider yourself lucky. I will always advocate and fight for those that are affected. This diagnosis has changed me in more ways than I can count and I will do everything in my power to help those that have it more difficult than Nate has had it as his situation can change in an instant. If you haven't already, please consider making a donation to Team Nate the Great
Also, there is another opportunity this month to help us help others. My lovely friend, Robin, has offered her commission up to anyone that makes a purchase from our event at Stella & Dot. If you click the link, make a purchase, a portion of your purchase will go straight to Team Nate the Great. Not only are you buying something cute for yourself (or someone else!), you are helping the pediatric brain tumor community. What's better than that????
And lastly, I have bracelets that say Team Nate the Great on them. If you are interested in having one, please send me a message, and I will mail one out to you!
