The bruises and the girl

Last week I blogged about a bruise Jude had on his arm that we attributed to his wheelchair. The nurse put pads on his chair so there wouldn't be any issues. This weekend Jude was kept only in his bed or on his futon. So he didn't have any hard surfaces. However yesterday these popped up on BOTH arms.

 

His left arm is the worst. So I started running through scenario's in my head and I know his nurse did too.

1. Just a fluke ~ Maybe but Jude has never bruised like this before for any reason except for the incident last week.

2. Anemia - Possibly. His Pediasure contains the right amount of iron but his nurse pointed out that his tone issue could be burning to many calories and robbing his body of certain nutrients.

3. Kidneys - Jude did have decreased urine output and continued to have a few issues with that this weekend. His urine has also been a bit dark.

4. Liver - Sigh this is my biggest fear and I am going to choose to believe this isn't the case. Jude takes Felbatol for his seizure disorder. It was a "last resort" medication and one that we had to understand prior to giving it to him. The doctor basically sat us down and explained the reward could outweigh the risk but there was risk. Felbatol is very hard on the liver. However Jude is seizure free because of his Depakene Felbatol cocktail. The doctor also explained that if it damages the liver there is no return from that. Therefore we have lab tests done every three months to watch his liver enzymes and his medication levels. He is really due for another one.

5. Other symptoms ~ pale, intermittent fever, whining in pain a bit. However Jude is also smiling and still communicating in his way with me.

So I sent a note last night to the neurologist and to the pediatrician with pictures to seek their advice. He does have a few spots on his legs but nothing like his arms. So if it was organ related would it be isolated to one area? We will most likely get labs drawn but I wanted to make sure we had the right orders and the right information prior to taking him in and if I can get someone to come to him it would be even better. With all the recent respiratory issues I hate to take Jude into any clinic or ER but we will if necessary. Hopefully this is something easily cured.  

On a good note Emily went to homecoming with her boyfriend this past weekend and had a great time. I am so proud of them so I had to share a few pictures. On Saturday morning they were both up super early! Her boyfriend came to pick her up by 7am and they went to finish building a home for a veteran.


 

Emily said she shoveled rock and help lay the grass. They then came home very tired and got ready for their dance.

It's been a struggle for me to allow Emily to date a senior, but I am glad he has good values!