Saturday, September 13, 2008

Going Away Party - Leaving China in 42 Hours!!

Yesterday Dr. Bing gave Brandon a set of flash cards that had various pictures on them. Car, ship, plane, helicopter, watermelon, corn, green pepper, apple, tomato, potato, water gun, rattle, cup, bowl...well you get the point. Anyway there is 48 different pictures and within 4 hours (including breaks), Brandon was able to tell us what each one was - 2 feet away - except tomato & apple (They look identical with the exception of the stem). I brought the Dr back in last night during Brandon's "lying down time" to show him what Brandon could do. After going through them with him, Dr. Bing grabbed my shoulders & hugged me then tried to hug Brandon but he wasn't going for any of that. He told Brandon "Thank you for making my day... this is very good news". I thought he was going to cry but he did keep his composure. He said that Brandon has a very good chance of improving more over the next several months. Many people have told me that the Dr's are just in it for the money. This may be true for some Dr's but not Dr. Bing. He is an amazing Dr who truly cares about what he's doing. He WANTS to help people, he WANTS to see people improve - and we can't thank him enough for everything he has done. Last night we were informed that the Dr. visiting from another city lets his patients up after 4 hours of lying down. So instead of the normal 6 hours, Brandon was allowed up after 4 hours. He was happy about that. Especially since there was a party going on out in the lobby. An hour after it started, Brandon & I were able to go out and take part in the festivities. We took pictures, talked to other patients & ate. They had the coffee tables COVERED with fruit, cake, moon pies, & juice. Brandon ate watermelon & cake to celebrate his last treatment. We retired early since he is suppose to take it easy for 48 hours after treatment. Around 11pm, Brandon started suffering a headache. I gave him Tylenol but it wasn't helping. I went to the Dr's office across the hall & asked Dr. Bing for medicine. The last time Brandon had a headache, they gave him a capsule which we dissolved in water. 5 minutes later, the Dr. came back with a capsule. Today he has been taking it easy & right now he's in bed with another headache. I think he partied too much last night instead of resting. Another day is about to end - 2 days left!! We stayed up late last night & slept until nearly 2pm today. Hopefully it will help in readjusting to US time when we get home.........IN 2 DAYS!!! Photo's: 1st - Brandon enjoying the party in the lobby. See all the food on the table? They had a bowl of limes....not sure what they were for. 2nd - Brandon is flirtin' with the nurses & making his remaining time here count!!

Friday, September 12, 2008

Final Treament Is Complete!! 3 Days Until We're Home!!

Last night 15 of us (patients & their families) went to the Sunkin Hua Kun Hotel - aka the International Buffet - for dinner. It was actually better than the last time we went. (well except for the duck heads & tongue from some animal - not sure what type of animal donated their tongue for the menu). It was pretty funny because I sat in front of a patient who likes to be adventurous when it comes to food. As I sat there eating with Brandon, I tried my best to avoid looking a the other patient's plate of sea shells & tendons. They did teach me how to use chop sticks so "Thank You" - you know who you are!! The reason I use the terms "they, the patient, or them" is because not everyone likes to be acknowledged on someone else's website. So if I haven't asked their permission - I don't mention names. Today was Brandon's final treatment!! YEAH!! He is currently beginning his 2nd hour of lying in bed - 4 hours to go! The Dr. met us in the elevator as we were coming back up to the room & said that everything was fine. In fact his intracranial pressure was at the lowest we had seen it before - 70 which is a normal!! I'm not sure why we have seen the pressure drop from high to normal but we're happy. It certainly makes recovery go a lot smoother with less complications. Brandon is so happy that this was the last treatment. He has gotten tired of feeling like a pin cushion - being poked & prodded. But he has said that his eyes are working better so he's glad he came to China. I think we are all happy to have had the opportunity to come here. I may have complained a lot but not once have I ever regretted coming here. I'm adding several pictures that I took last night & today since this was the last treatment. During the previous treatments, I've sorta slacked in the picture taking department. I have just been informed that the staff is throwing us a party tonight at 6:00 pm. Apparently since there are three families that are leaving Monday & Tuesday, they want to have a going away party. That's very nice of them - it will also give Brandon & I something to do to pass the time. I have asked them if I can wheel Brandon out into the lobby for the party since he's unable to get up until 9:00 pm (providing he is feeling well). They said that we could probably do that. Well we are almost packed up. Tonight I will pack most of our clothes up & leave only the clothes we'll need for this weekend & Monday. I'm done doing laundry in China! The clothes don't dry for a few days & by the time they do dry, they smell funky. When we get home, I'll be washing ALL the clothes up so we can hopefully get the smell of China out of them. So we're down to wearing our cleanest dirty clothes until we get home! Photo's: 1st - Some of the other patients & families linger after dinner. I had forgotten the card that shows the hospital name & address in Chinese back in the room so I had to wait & catch a cab back to the hospital with another family. This was the first time I had ever forgotten the card - thankfully there was still other people that DID have theirs or Brandon & I would never had gotten back to the hospital! 2nd - Brandon standing in the lobby of the Sunkin Hua Kun Hotel last night after dinner. It's a really nice hotel!! 3rd - Brandon today making faces as we wait for them to take him downstairs. He was being silly! 4th - 2:15 pm China's time - Brandon is whisked away by a nurse an the interpreter Wendy. Time for treatment!! 5th - Brandon is being loaded on the elevator to be taken down to the 4th floor where the spinal treatments are done on kids. The adults have their spinal treatments on the 9th floor. 6th - Brandon waves to the camera as we go down the hall on the 4th floor. OR room here we come!! 7th - At 2:25 Brandon is fast asleep after he receives a dose of medicine to put him to sleep. They put two different medicines into his IV using a syringe. It only takes a minute or so for him to go to sleep. After he is fast asleep, they move him into the gurney used for treatment. 8th - Brandon is on the gurney & is whisked away to the operating room. That's the last time I see him before the treatment starts. I am sent to the waiting room to do just that - wait. 35 minutes seem like hours when your child is in the operating room. Only when he is awake do I get an update & that's to tell me that I can see him again - back in the same room that he received the medicine to put him to sleep. 9th - The Operating Room. When you first walk in, they ask to to wait there - do not cross over the line because you can contaminate to OR. However nurses & Dr's can cross over the line & go back (apparently there's a difference). So they take Brandon to the line & give him the medicine to put him to sleep. I have to lean over the line just to hold Brandon's hand as he falls asleep. 10th - The dreaded waiting room. Actually this is a really nice waiting room. The families of patients who receive stem cell treatments wait in this private room while the Chinese families all have to wait in a little room filled with hard metal chairs across from the operating room. They just recently granted us use of this room so the families can be more comfortable. More often than not, I sit at the table & try to read a book. It's hard though since all I can do is worry about how Brandon is. I'm so glad this is over with!! The waiting room is actually a meeting room where Dr's go to converge. They have a big flat panel TV, a projector & a computer in the room. I can understand why they would hesitate to let us use the room to wait. In the background on the wall is a Chinese saying. From what I understand, it means to always think of the patient with understanding & to give the best care possible. 11th - At exactly 3:00 pm Brandon is back in the room just inside of the operating room after receiving his last spinal stem cell treatment. He is fully awake and in a great mood! The shelf in the background holds several pairs of sandals. When people go past the line, they have to put on the sandals (I guess so you don't contaminate the floor?) Right next door to the OR is the door that you enter to go into the waiting room. As soon as you walk into the hallway leading to the waiting room, there is the same type of shelf with sandals. They usually have plastic bags that they have you place over your feet. Today I wasn't quite so lucky. With no bags, I was forced to use the sandals. They're comfortable but I'm sure many people have used those same pair since washing them. I have a problem using sandals that are community property & where someone else's sweaty feet have been. But if it means sitting in a comfortable waiting room instead of the common waiting room, then I'll get over my phobia -Afterall this was the last time!!

Thursday, September 11, 2008

7th Anniversary of the World Trade Center Attack

As we remember what our country went through 7 years ago today, I can't help but be thankful for being an American. I remember after the attack, you couldn't find a single American flag in stores - they had all be purchased and proudly displayed uniting our country during a difficult time. Today as we went to Jimo, I noticed that very few China flags are displayed. They do have small ones but they don't have many large (flag pole) sized - not like America. I hope our children will understand how lucky they are to have been born in the USA. It was very bittersweet going into town. Today's journey marked our last outing here in China. I have fallen in love with Jimo but I believe a person could go bankrupt in there if they really tried hard enough. It's not the shopping I love but the people in those little booths. They work hard every day to sell the goods that they make just to feed their families. They are so friendly and kind and try so hard to please you. They just make you appreciate your life even more. Brandon was even a bit sad when we left Jimo for the last time. We stopped at KFC (Brandon's favorite place) before coming back to the hospital. Brandon asked if we could go to KFC when we got home. I told him that I doubt if we would ever eat KFC again. 4 days until we come home!! We are so excited!!! Brandon will have his last treatment tomorrow so hopefully the next couple of days will go by fast. He has learned all of his alphabet & numbers 1-9 (the numbers he learned today!!). I'm so proud of him! Photo's: 1st - Brandon and I in from of a fountain in the courtyard behind Jimo. Jimo is a shopaholics dream! 2nd - Brandon at the nurse's station last night. He asked if he could wear her hat - funny huh!

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

A - Z and 5 DAYS LEFT!!

Brandon has done it! He has learned the whole alphabet in exactly one week IN PRINT! X & Y were a bit tough but he counts the "legs" to determine whether it is an X or a Y. Today we woke up & got him fed before the 6 hour cut off (no food or water 6 hours prior to treatment). Then he went back to sleep. The Dr's came in soon afterwards but didn't want to wake him up. They said to let him sleep so they left. LESS THAN 2 minutes later, 2 nurses came in to put his IV in. I asked them to come back later since the Dr's said to let him sleep. They said "no, now". So at 9:15 am this morning, they did his IV. 45 minutes later, the interpreter came in and said that the treatment has been cancelled today because the flight was cancelled. The stem cells are flown in the day of the treatment in insure that they are as "fresh" as they can be. They said that the treatment will be done on Friday instead. Of course I was a bit concerned because we head home on Monday & from what we have always been told, you must wait 5 days after treatment to leave. I told them that we ARE LEAVING on Monday - regardless. They said that since his last spinal was fine that this one should be noneventful as well therefore it would be ok to leave on Monday as scheduled. We are so ready to go home that nothing is going to keep us here!! I told John that we'd run away if they attempt to keep us longer. With that being said, I told them to take his IV out and Friday's IV won't be given until closer to treatment time. It is crazy to give a kid an IV 6 hours before treatment. Especially since they don't start using the IV until an hour prior to treatment. Brandon being tortured today could've been prevented if they hadn't been in a rush. I had promised Brandon that this was the last IV & I unintentionally lied to him. Last night I couldn't help myself. I started packing. I tried to limit myself & pack only the stuff I wouldn't need here. It made Brandon & I feel so good to begin the process of packing. It made the impending trip home seem a bit closer. Brandon & I have gotten so used to being by ourselves. We aren't trying to be standoffish to the other patients, we're just so homesick and don't feel like hanging out in the lobby. Yesterday I took Brandon to KFC and that's the only time we stepped out of our room the entire day. Today we went to the nurses station to get the IV out and that's been it. John has been telling me to put a DVD in & watch a movie to make the time go by faster. I can't even get myself to do that. I have turned the TV on twice since John left 10 days ago. He convinced me to try a movie twice but each time, I didn't watch it. I feel completely different since everyone left on the 1st. The only thing on our minds is the prospect of being home soon. All Brandon talks about is leaving China & going home. In the middle of the night, I hear him talking in his sleep. Usually he just says "I wanna go home". We wander through the process of getting up each day, eating meals, listening to music just to end the silence, practicing letters and chatting with family back home. And of course staring at the clock, begging time to move faster. Now I know what the other patients feel like the last week they're here. It really does go on forever!!

Monday, September 8, 2008

We left Home Exactly 1 Month Ago Today - 1 Week Left!!

Today was another lazy day. We saw the Dr's at 9:00 am and then we had the rest of the day off. Adele came to see us at noon which was really nice. We have missed her & we're going to miss her after we leave!! She brought us something that is similar to a waffle cone except it was rolled up & had little seeds in it. It was actually pretty good. After she left, Brandon wanted to go to the RT Mart and buy some chips & raisins. So off to the market we went. We bought more cucumbers for him & I found a block of imported Land O'Lakes American cheese. I was happy!! We left America exactly one month ago today. It really doesn't seem that long ago but then in a way it does. We have gotten used to China and all of their funky ways but I wouldn't want to live here. We come home a week from today. Brandon is so excited to be on our last week here. He woke up this morning & instantly remembered that today marked the 1 week until D-Day. Photo: Brandon talks to his Dad on Skype. He can tell me where John's nose, eyes & mouth are on the online video. Although Skype has been great, we can't wait to see everyone in person!!

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Lazy Day - 8 days to go!

It's Sunday afternoon here and we're being lazy today. On the weekends nothing really goes on around here. Brandon & I slept until 12:30 - something that we haven't done since we got here. It was nice to actually sleep in and pretend that we're back home :) Yesterday we got up early & went into town with several other patients. We started our day at a Temple downtown. It wasn't quite as peaceful as the one in the mountain nor was it as scenic but it was nice to see. Next we stopped at the boardwalk. Almost everyone else wanted to eat Chinese food. But Brandon & I couldn't stomach the thought of eating it so we skipped it & went to the beach. Brandon was able to play in the water which he loved. I took off his clothes & left him in his boxers since we still had more stops to make. At first I wasn't sure if it was ok but then I noticed that most of the other kids were completely naked. He played with another little boy who could speak some English. We kept getting surrounded by people wanting to take pictures of Brandon. I bought a bottle of water so I could wash the sand off of Brandon's feet & legs. As we sat down to get him cleaned up, I noticed a circle had been formed around us of people wanting to see him. It was a bit Awhile later we walked down the boardwalk & took photo's. It was nice to watch the Navy ships off in the distance. Brandon enjoyed looking at the water from the boardwalk (about 6 ft below). Later we went to Jimo and to a DVD store. The DVD store is so funny. We walk in & ask them that we want to see the English movies. They tell you to be quiet as they lead to to the back. Suddenly this shelf starts to move reveiling a secret room full of movies. I'm assuming they are copies which would explain the secrecy. After stopping at KFC for dinner, we arrived back to the "house" at 7:30 completely exhausted but grateful that we were able to do something that made the day go by quickly. Photo's: 1st - Brandon & I at the Temple. There was a long walkway that lead to different buildings, each containing a gold Buddha with gifts of fruit and other things around it. People would buy incense and light several at a time in front of the Buddha. They would then hold the incense up to their forehead as they prayed. After prayer, they would throw the incense into a metal "thingy" as shown in photo #5. 2nd - Brandon & I in front of the huge bell. While there, the bell began to ring and we saw several monks head toward a large building that had another gold buddha in it. From what I understood, it was time for prayer. Anyway inside of the bell house is a 3ft long log suspended in air by chains and covered in decorations. They strike the bell with the swinging log which of course causes the bell to ring. 3rd - Brandon & I in front of the oddest little building. It is seven stories high but each floor is extremely small. I didn't see any signs that gave an indication as to what it was. I thought it was an interesting building though. 4th - In front of each building, there is a metal box that people place incense in after praying over them (like the person in the background). It was really smoky around the boxes!! On the left 0ur favorite driver looks on. 5th - When the bell rang, the monks went into this building which is the largest building there at the Temple. We saw several banners announcing the 2008 Olympics which I thought was odd at a Buddhist Temple. 6th - One of the golden buddha's which is found in every building. I didn't realize that we weren't suppose to take photo's of the buddha's until the driver pointed out a sign saying so....oops! 6th - Brandon at the beach. He had such a good time playing in the water. He accidentally got some water in his mouth & he said "EWW that's nasty water!!" I had to explain to him that it was salt water and that lots of fish live in there. In the background there was several Navy ships just hanging around. Also above Brandon's left shoulder, there was a man in a row boat just floating around us. He would come up as close to the shoreline as possible then go back out. I never did see the purpose of it but he seemed to be having a good time. Brandon got a little sunburned out there. Every few minutes someone would come by and take his picture. Can you see the island in the background??