When we checked in, the front desk they told me that we only have appointments scheduled through July 27th. They asked if we need any more appointments scheduled. I wasn't sure at that point....
You see next Tuesday Coby has his camp overnight. He will not be dosing at that overnight. He will completely skip dosing and was told to go back to his regular dose on Wednesday.
Today Jessi told us that while usually kids go from 8 to 10 peanuts at their up-dose appointment one week later, she isn't comfortable having Coby do that since he is missing one of his doses next week; and just two days prior to that big 2 peanut jump. She said instead we will just go up to 9.
(I am actually going to ask if we should even bother going in to up-dose to 9 if most kids go 8 to 10. Maybe Coby should just stay on his dose of 8 for 2 weeks instead of 1 and then go straight up to 10 in 2 weeks. We shall see.)
So yep, need to schedule another appointment.
And another week gets added on.
Sigh.
So now if everything else goes well graduation will be August 3rd instead of July 27th.
Graduation in early August would mean his final food challenge may now be the first week of school instead of the last week of summer vacation. That complicates things too.
Sigh
It also means Coby will not be able to have his ice-cream cake for his birthday. He'll be missing that cut off by just five days.
Sigh.
But you know what... maybe it's better this way. Instead he can have his very first piece of ice-cream cake at his graduation party at home surrounded by his cheer-leaders and loved ones. Look at me trying to see that cup as half full. Yay me! ;)
Anyway, YES my 8 year old (for another 16 days anyway) did indeed up-dose to 8 peanuts today!!!
THIS IS 8....
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| And his shirt reads, "Chill I got this" Perfect! |
But before we could even go to his appointment today we had to drive through a torrential downpour--- but we did it!
And before we could even drive through that torrential downpour Coby had to get through his day at camp.
And I say 'get through' because today was the camp day Coby had been dreading the most. It was speed-boat and tubing day. (I know--- that should be one of the best trips, right?) Last year he was too scared to try the tubes on this trip day, so for part of our family's summer vacation in 2016 we decided to take Coby tubing to show him how fun it actually is and he loooooved it!
TUBING SUMMER 2016
But a year is a long time and once again Coby was fearful of today's trip. He even asked to stay home from camp and it was hard for him to fall asleep. I tried reminding how much he loved tubing last summer and I told him he's been on a speed-boat several times and loved it each time and worse comes to worse he can stay on the boat and doesn't have to tube. We also talked about how fears can grow bigger and bigger until you face that fear and show it who is boss. I even told him in life we tend to regret the things we don't do, not the things we do do, which is kind of heavy stuff, but oh so very true. Think about it....
This morning I showed him all the pictures from last summer of him speed boating, tubing and white water rafting. I pointed out that he had a huge smile on his face in every single picture. When I dropped him off at camp he said, "75% chance I will go tubing."
When I picked him up from camp, he approached the car, looked me in the eye and a huge smile appeared on his face. I knew in that moment that he indeed did face his fears and went tubing with camp. (TWICE!!!)
Tubing with camp today!
And he said, "So far this was the best trip of the summer. Can I go tubing again?"
BOO-YA! THAT'S MY BOY!
Yay, I am so proud of him for facing these fears. I knew he could do it. After all he has been facing his fear every single day for the last 267 days and continues to do so.
He truly is a fighter and is the strongest person I know. I knew that from the moment I heard his strong heart-beat in utero. This boy sticks with things. he doesn't give up.
At the up-dose appointment a couple of new nurses tended to him and I thought, 'oh crap'. You see, I had inquired a few weeks ago about the names of all his OIT nurses to make sure I got enough graduation gifts for each person (it's a specially made item that is no longer being sold.) I got six of them. Now I'm panicking-- do I have to find two more items even if these nurses may only have dealt with him a handful of times over thirty five appointments? Crap. And will it matter that theirs is different from the others? I don't know what to do...
So yep, a new nurse introduced herself and brought Coby his peanuts. Can't believe we went from a microscopic speck all those months ago, to this!
The hour went well. And Coby checked out fine afterwards.
Before leaving, I discussed how to dose Coby at night when I need to.
Coby's very last camp trip is a late night and he will only be getting home at about 8PM. Since his dosing has to be within a 22-26 hour window we will have to tweak the dosing times of the days leading up to that late night to be able to dose him at 8. She said it's best if he stays awake for two hours after dosing, but as long as he is awake for one hour that should be fine. It makes me so nervous to dose him at night-time, since the later you dose, the higher the chance of a reaction (something to do with the body's natural state of cortisol levels being highest in the morning and drops off as the day goes on.)
I know I'll be using a baby monitor that night....
But I need to focus on the here and now and try to retrain my mind to try to stop worrying about all that is yet to come--- after all this late night is over a month away, and even after graduation day!
So sticking to the present--- , assuming the night goes well, Coby successfully up-dosed to EIGHT PEANUTS! In many practices that is graduation date. It's not Coby's graduation date- but I kind of look at it as him getting his 'associate's degree' before he will continue on to get his full degree, hopefully three weeks from today.
Yeah it sucks that another week was added on. Again.
But even with another week added on--- we are still nearly there!
At what point can I start counting the days instead of the weeks?
If all goes well--- graduation is just three weeks away---- 21 days!
Is it too soon to be counting the days?
Keep fighting the good fight Cobes. You are knocking those fears unconscious!!!!
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