Our Autism Story...part 2

In the ultrasound room my husband and I waited.  We were nervous.  We had sat in a small office and talked with a nurse who specialized in genetics.  She tried her best to put our fears at ease.  Our family history didn't indicated any reason to be concerned about any genetic issues, but I knew that there was something to be concerned about.  I layed on the table waiting anxiously for the results.  The ultrasound tech told us we were having a boy (I already knew that! lol!) and seemed so positive that I thought maybe I was just being a nervous mother.  When she was done, she told us she was going to bring it to the neonatologist to review and she would be back.  My husband and I talked about our excitement of having a boy.  Our peanut now had a name!  We decided to go and register for my baby shower after the appointment.  We were hopeful and we were ready to leave.  The neonatologist entered the room, which we did not expect.  It was then that my sinking feeling returned.  Our peanut had a urinary blockage that was backing urine up into his kidneys.  He was at risk for kidney failure and if the blockage didn't resolve soon I would need intrauterine surgery to place a stent to save his kidneys.  Due tot he blockage he also had a 1% chance of having Downs Syndrome.  Now for most things in life 1% is not allot but when you are talking about the life of your child, 1% is WAY too much!  After that day we did all the followup appointments to check for other health issues such as heart problems and spina bifida.  Everything came back "normal".  The next hurdle was the follow-up ultrasound to determine if we needed surgery.  Two nights before our appointment we went to the Bible Study at our church.  At the end of the study everyone layed hands on me and we all prayed for our little peanut.  We prayed that God would heal him.  I left feeling unsure of anything anymore.  How could this be happening?  I was to work that night (I worked 3rd shift back then) and tried my best to go about business as usual.  It was busy that night in the hospital, which was not uncommon for that time of year.  I left work that morning, exhausted and ready for breakfast and a nice long nap in my warm bed.  As I drove home I began to pray for peanut.  As I prayed I began to feel a peace around me.  I suddenly felt as if things were going to be "okay".  This was the 1st time during the entire pregnancy so far where I actually felt this way!  The following day we went to our follow-up appointment and began with an ultrasound.  This time, we knew more about what we were seeing on the screen.  And this time, it looked MUCH different.  The doctor came in and re-did the ultrasound him self and smiled.  "I don't know what it is you re doing, " He said happily "But keep doing it!  The blockage is completely resolved.  You'd never even know it had been there to begin with!"  The only thing we had done, was prayed.  To this day I KNOW that God healed my little angel. 

The rest of the pregnancy went without much of a hitch.  This was the beginning of a long journey that we had no idea was going to occur. It's a journey of delays and doubt, questioning and no answers.  Its a journey of feeding issues, motor and speech delays, frequent viral and bacterial (ear infections) infections.  It a journey of vaccinations, PE tubes, hospitalization, long car trips, Neurologist appointments, EEG's, MRI's, Early intervention, food allergies and bills.  Its a journey many families can relate to.  Most importantly its a journey of faith.

Fast forward to today.  Our peanut is now a thriving three year old.  He still has delays in all areas (except cognition) but he is making gains daily.  He has health issues related to "Leaky Gut Syndrome" which requires a strict diet and supplements to heal his belly.  We now bring him to a Pediatric Naturopath to treat his health issues.  He has an intention tremor and motor ataxia.  His MRI showed a myelin delay.  His EEG was negative (Praise God!).  We spend our week going to many different therapy's and classes.  The one thing I want to stress about all of this is that no matter all the things we have gone through on our journey so far, I would change a thing.  I KNOW that God has a plan for us.  I have faith in him that the plan he has will be fulfilled.  I KNOW that it is all happening for a reason and I KNOW that its a good reason.  My son is so amazing!  He shows us a side of the world we can't see without him.  He brings us closer to God.  I hope our story blesses whomever reads it.  My hope is that it brings some hope.  God knows what he is doing, but its up to us to have faith and let him do as he has intended to do.  God Bless you all!