.busy.

We found a splash pad that was working and met Tausha and the kids there. There was a free school lunch school right next door so we had lunch together after.

Josh's new job is going well. Its been an adjustment but we are loving having him home more! July 2oth marked his 30 days on the job. We were eligible for medical and dental benefits! Hallelujah!!! We were able to drop our expensive private insurance plan and I got the boys in for dental check-ups. TJ was starting Football at the first of August and I took him into the Dr. for a physical.

.follow-up.

Christmas 2004

TJ hadn't been feeling well for a few days prior to our Christmas party as Josh's sister's house that year. Here's our family picture from the night. I was 9 months pregnant with Gage here.

A few pictures of TJ from the evening. He was 22 months old at the time. I'd have to look back through my journal to be sure but I think I took him to the Dr's prior to this day and was told he had some sort of virus?

Christmas Eve though he developed a extremely stiff neck. We made him a wrap of Mentholatum and he wore it that day.

This picture makes me so sad. He was miserable by the nights end. You could just tell he didn't feel good.

Christmas morning we opened presents, he got a Geo Trax train set that year. He still didn't feel good but we headed down to Salt Lake to see my family anyway. As soon as we got to my Grandmother's house for our party, he developed a very high fever and we decided to take him to the local Instacare. We spent 4+ hours Christmas Day at the Dr's. They gave him a shot of antibiotics and sent us home.

The next few days were miserable.

I took him at least twice more to the Dr's office. I just knew something was wrong with him and no one could seem to figure out what that was. It horrible timing with his Doctor being off for the holidays.

One night I went in his room to comfort him when he was crying and he had a complete breakdown. My almost two year old little boy was screaming and trashing at me. His eyes looked so lifeless and I swear to you I thought he was possessed by an evil spirit. I screamed to Josh and told him to get up to his room. TJ could not be comforted or loved in anyway. He scratched and pushed us both away. Josh assured me that the devil could not posses the body of a child so young and we both knew something had to be done.

We took him back to the Dr's again the next morning. We met an on call PA that day. I cried and told him all we had been through, how sick my little boy was and that I knew something was wrong with him. We waited for what felt like hours and he came back later and told us he thought TJ has something called Kawasaki disease. He left again and came back ah while after with another Dr. (this one was head of the Pediatric Department at McKay Dee hospital) and went again over TJ's symptoms. They both agreed that they thought that this was what TJ had. They told us to pack a bag and head down to Primary Childrens.

The Dr's sent a fax down the the hospital and they were ready for us when we arrived an hour later. We spent some time in the ER while they ran tests. Giving him and IV was the most horrendous experience I've ever witnessed. I had to leave the room and poor Josh had to help hold him down for it. Josh was close to passing out afterwards and was very shaky. There was also talk about a spinal tap.

We were told there was no testing for Kawasaki's. TJ displayed classic symptoms. (ever one of them in fact).

• fever
• rash (his cheeks)
  
• swollen hands and feet (this was slight)
  
• irritation and redness of the whites of the eyes
• swollen lymph glands in the neck (so much that he could hardly move his neck)
  
• irritation and inflammation of the mouth, lips and throat

Kawasaki's responded very well to an intravenous gamma globulin transfusion and aspirin therapy. That's what was ordered for him. We were admitted into the hospital and the treatment was started that day.

He received a few transfusions and spent three days in the hospital. His health improved dramatically with the treatment and because so, he was officially diagnosed.

A few pictures from our stay.

Josh. I LOVE this man. He was my strength throughout this whole ordeal. We leaned on each other alot. He stayed the entire stay with TJ. Slept in the room with him, didn't leave his side once. Let me rest my pregnant body and sleep and my Mom's house and I was okay with this because he was still there with our little boy.

Sitting on the floor in our hospital room. They had a crib bed for TJ to sleep in but he wanted nothing to do with that.

My Mom. What a help and support she was too! I am so grateful for her. She was up with us at the hospital multiple times. She picked up some new PJ's for TJ when we ran out of clean clothes. She brought book and crayons and just helped us pass the time.

Grandpa Daryl and Grandma Sherrie also came down to visit us too!

Ugh. I was soooo pregnant with Gage. I felt the pitty of all the hospital staff when they would look at me dealing with all this and so close to having another baby. Gage was born two weeks later.

So....why am I writing about all this? Well, Kawasaki's disease affects the heart. It is one of the leading causes of acquired heart disease in children in the United States. While TJ was hospitalized he had two Echocardiograms done (basically an ultrasound of the heart) to check for heart damage.

How does Kawasaki disease affect the heart?

The coronary arteries are most often affected. Part of a coronary wall can be weakened and balloon (bulge out) in an aneurysm. A blood clot can form in this weakened area and block the artery, sometimes leading to a heart attack. The aneurysm can also burst, but this rarely happens.

Other changes include inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis) or the sac surrounding the heart (pericarditis). Arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms) or abnormal functioning of some heart valves also can occur.

Usually all the heart problems go away in five or six weeks, and there's no lasting damage. Sometimes coronary artery damage persists, however.

An arrhythmia or damaged heart muscle can be detected using an electrocardiogram (EKG). An echocardiogram (or "echo") is used to look for possible damage to the heart or coronary arteries.

After we were released from the hosptial, we had to go in for another "echo" about 6 months later. His heart still looked fine but were were told he needed a follow up appointment in 5 years.

Well...Its 5 years later! It took about 4 months to get into see his Doctor at Primary's. I got a babysitter for Gage and Brynn and TJ and I went to his appt.

He was given an EKG this time.

The Dr. then came in to give us the results. He said he looks good. There still isn't much ongoing research concerning Kawasaki's and he suggested getting another echo in 5 more years. (I was bummed hoping this would be the last time.) He said we can assume that TJ has some heart damage...nothing serious thank goodness, but that he needs to be aware of it and lead a healthy lifestyle so that he won't have any future problems with his heart.

The hospital has a great cafeteria and we got an ice cream afterwards!

I love you TJ! Even though we had to go through this health trial with you I'm so grateful for that PA who finally gave us answers to what was wrong with you. I'm also grateful for modern medicine, and that we were able to get you treated in time so there was no lasting effects from this disease.