I Go Feed Turtles!

This has been a tough few weeks on SVZ and everyone who cares about him.

The After-Care Program at Sergio’s School has kicked him out do to his behavior.  Sergio has impulse control issues, no doubt, but I have never, ever seen a redirection not work with him.  It usually takes getting his attention and telling him no, or stop.  Not that difficult, but apparently the after-care program is not able to redirect him successfully.  It is their loss as Sergio is such a gift.  We are researching alternatives.

Sergio went into the O.R. last Friday (again) to have major dental work completed.  He has a wonderful DMD who truly cares and did a wonderful job with him each time.  Sergio’s teeth did not develop properly while he was still under construction.  He had two teeth pulled this time as well as some root/nerve work and caps.  Yikes!  He knows he can not have anything sticky or risk having those caps pop off.  It was awful to see him coming out of the anesthesia.  My little trooper was disoriented and in pain.  He told us in his raspy voice (from being intubated) that he was in the wrong place! When we got home he slept a lot.  I asked him that night how he was feeling and he gave me a thumbs up.  The next day he was very tranquil and I think a little self conscious of his now lighter mouth.  By Sunday he had his thinking cap on and told me that his teeth were starting to work again but he could not eat anything healthy.  Monday morning when I woke him for school, he told me his throat was feeling better.  Poor guy, it probably bothered him throughout the weekend and he didn’t complain one time.  

Yesterday I took Sergio for his annual Cardiology follow up appointment.  This one is a breeze, although usually a long two hour visit (note to self: next year it is Daddy’s turn to go!).  Sergio has an EKG, Blood Pressure, Echocardiogram and the MD listens to his heart.  No murmur and no change from last year but this time, the MD explained something to me in greater detail than they had explained in the past and it wasn’t easy to hear it.  Sergio had open heart surgery at one year old and will always be followed by a Cardiologist.  Each time we went for his follow up, the MD told me that Sergio was fine, the heart was working fine, nothing would affect his development or activity level but that there was still a teeny hole and they were hopeful that it would close up on its own.  Well, that 'teeny hole' was explained to me a lot better this time.  When SVZ’s left ventricle pumps the blood into his left atrium, there is a little blood that comes back down to the left ventricle.  It sounds a lot more scary when presented that way. When we were leaving the cardiology office, I was a little frazzled and I asked Sergio to quiet down for a minute while I figured out how to get out of the area and head back towards home.  He replied, I love you, Mom.  Now do you feel better?  I said, thank you Sergio, and YES, I DO!

Sergio really is a strong little boy and we can all take many a lesson from him.