Annual Liver Check up

When Duke called and wanted to schedule Claire's liver ultrasound for 8 am this morning, I thought I would cry.  I realized that they were doing this because she had to be NPO before the ultrasound meaning no food or drink after midnight so they scheduled her first so she could eat right after.  My concern was how were we going to get up at 4 am to drive to Duke without her begging for food or drink for 4 hours.  That's when Jax's parents reminded me about the Ronald McDonald House. 

I never got to stay at RMH when Claire was at Duke.  Other family member stayed there and really liked it.  But since then they have completely renovated the old part and built a brand new part.  I had been and cooked breakfast for families there so I had seen parts of it. 

We were on the waiting list all week until yesterday afternoon we heard we got a room!  We really were not sure what to expect.  We didn't get there until 9 pm last night and were exhausted.  But when we got in our room, I was so happy.  It was beautiful!  I am pretty sure we probably got a room meant for a long term family but they were completely booked so maybe they let us stay in there?  It had our own bathroom (we were expecting to share bathrooms with other families), our own washer and dryer, shower, oven, stove, microwave, dishwasher, refridgerator, bar, couch/seating area, little dining area, 2 double beds, a dresser, and closet.  I was in awe.  And all they ask is $10 a night from families and if you cannot afford it, you do not have to pay.

We also dropped off about 40 pounds of pop tops.  This is about 52,000 tabs!!!!  Thanks for all of your help!

This really opened my eyes to how important RMH is to families like ours.  Fortunately, we had family close to Duke so when Claire was up there we were able to stay there for extended times.  But for people who don't have families close by, RMH is awesome.  It is so home-like.  And comfortable.  And safe-feeling.  I can so see us there fiding respite during all of Claire's hospital stays.  I am so glad we were able to stay there.  We will probably be doing it again next year for her annual liver ultrasound!

Here are some pictures from RMH and our room:

Then I was worried about how Claire would react at the appointment.  It has not been long since her cardiology appointment where she had complete and total meltdowns the whole time.  But this time was totally different!  We ran into Dr. Rachel as we were walking into the ultrasound.  I believe she brought us good luck because Claire did awesome!!!!  We didn't plan to meet any friends up there today after knowing how she reacted at her heart appointment, so it was a coincidence to run into Dr. Rachel.  She was busy so she had to run, but we did get to hug her neck. 

AND her preliminary ultrasound results looked good.  The Nook, toys, and phones - plus the really sweet techs - made it all work.  Thank God!!

Here's a cell phone picture of Claire getting her ultrasound. 

So we will go back again next year and I hope the experience is just as good. 

Love,
The Scott Family