Good Standing

Austin had an abdominal ultrasound at Rainbow yesterday, part of our we’ll-pay-anything-to-have-him-scanned-by-the-one-doctor-who-knows-what-his-crazy-kidney-looks-like and his first of five tests in the coming week. Next Friday, he’ll go to the Clinic for an ECHO, EKG, chest CT and labwork plus a physical with his new oncologist. Unfortunately, I scheduled those appointments long before I knew the boys had that day off school, earning me serious Bad Mommy points. A trip to SkyZone immediately following should keep me in good standing though.

Yesterday’s results came back clear, unchanged since last May, the first hurdle cleared on our path to the title of 3 1/2 years cancer-free. Our radiologist did recommend planning another MRI at some point, but he said there’s no rush and it could be done at the 5-year mark. It’s been a while since we had the absolute certainty of such high quality imaging, back with that unforgettable scan in May 2012. Ultrasound imaging is acceptable but nowhere near as precise as MRI, so we’ll discuss that with our doc next week.

I snapped this picture of Austin yesterday in the waiting room, as I marveled at how much he’s grown since we first carried him into that space in an infant car seat.

This was the first time he could read the Scrabble tiles outside the waiting room doors, connecting words like head, neck, legs, and toe to Pediatric Radiology (what, no kidney?). And there he sat, reading a book all by himself. His feet still don’t touch the floor, so that may be the next milestone he hits in that all-too-familiar space. And someday, he’ll drive himself down to the hospital and maneuver into a parking spot as a tall, strapping teenager. I’ll accompany him, probably against his will, and he’ll no longer climb into my lap in between procedures, but will be much more concerned with where to access the hospital wi-fi.

And while all of that makes me feel sad, his growing up sure beats any alternative.