Stryker's MRI

laying on stretcher in recovery

wagon rides before MRI

Today was the day for Stryker's MRI. It was the first time we had experienced "NPO" for Stryker. If you're unfamiliar, it's "nothing by mouth" that doctors order on occasion before a test/procedure is done. Logan & I planned the best we could for him to get ample food in hopes of decreasing fussiness in the morning. He ate supper late & then woke this morning with a few sips of water. We were able to distract him in the car playing & watching Elmo. Coco rode with us, while grandmomma met us at Children's Hospital. I'm pretty sure that Logan & I were more anxious/nervous about Stryker being sedated than Stryker was...I know, he's only 11 months old so that helps with him not knowing what's about to happen. Stryker was registered & then all of us took turns pulling him around the hospital lobby in a wagon. He loved having his toys in the wagon & riding by lots of people. He would stick his little arm out when someone passed by. "Such a cute little boy" people would say.

Hurry up & wait was the motto for today...or at least I thought. We were shuffled to another waiting room but smaller. Just a few minutes went by, then a nurse came to get Stryker for the IV placement. Logan & I took him to a room knowing we were going to hear crying soon. Logan held him as the anesthesia team spoke with me about the sedation process & vital signs were taken of Stryker. The two radiology technicians/nurses were wonderful. They took their time trying to distract Stryker while the IV was inserted in Stryker's hand. He, of course, cried & looked as if he were telling us to make them stop. Poor little boy. He was quickly consoled with his teddy bear & us walking him outside of the room.

The two technicians/nurses escorted all of us down to the MRI location. Logan & I were able to stay with him for a few minutes before they took him back. I began crying knowing I couldn't be there for him. Logan held me with uncertainty in his own mind. We all stayed in the waiting room talking about anything but the current situation. The nurses kept us informed about every detail. The MRI of his brain only took about 30-40 minutes. Logan & I were able to see him very soon after that in recovery. As we approached the stretcher, Stryker was laying on his back holding teddy & smiling at the nurses. He was still sleepy, uncoordinated, & unable to hold his head up independently. The nurses informed us that this would improve quickly as the anesthesia wore off.

Coco went back to work, but grandmomma took us to eat at Nikki's. Logan & I were starving (we didn't eat because our little boy couldn't eat). Stryker loved eating all the good food, especially since he had a variety to choose from off all our plates.

Logan left for baseball practice as Stryker & I played. Thank goodness the physician assistant for Dr. Fequire (neurologist) was extremely understanding because I called their office almost every 40-45 minutes wondering about results. The results were called to me around 4:30pm. NORMAL!!!!!! Yeah for good news as well as not having to wait all weekend to hear the results. I texted Logan, called Coco, & called grandmomma. Our follow-up appointment is scheduled for July.