2008 September « Une place de choix

It’s been awhile since this blog was last updated, and I’d like to thank all the patient Place de Choix readers. Why has it taken so long? Well, there are a few reasons. The first and most important is that in general, Sébastien is doing very well. David is only a tiny bit superstitious saying that if I write on the blog with good news, I might jinx it… And of course, I wouldn’t want to be responsible for that…

About Sébastien’s capsule endoscopy, unfortunately, there isn’t much to say. I would ask Jasmina about results, and none were given to her, until about a week or two ago, when the doctors let her know that there weren’t any results. The capsule depends entirely on the natural process of digestion and relays pictures for up to eight hours. As with any bowel transplant patient, Sébastien’s digestion is slow and he relies on medication to keep things moving, but even with that, it took over two days for the capsule to come out and by then it had long stopped taking pictures. Let’s just say that the partial evidence is too weak for a case to be laid against the bowel, accusing it of bleeds. AND… cross your fingers, Sébastien hasn’t had any serious bleeds since his trip to Winnipeg.

Sébastien is walking. You know the walkers seniors use? Well, a nice pysiotherapist found one adapted especially for kids like Sébastien. Imagine a walker, but instead of having it in front of you, you have it behind you, to keep you from falling backwards, supporting your hips and keeping your belly forward. That’s what Sébastien has! And he likes it. He’s standing longer, and learning to move more independently.

Sébastien loves going to pre-school. Jasmina started bringing him about a month or two ago, to get him used to interacting with other children. There is a little story to this… When Sébastien was here in Winnipeg for a visit, a play-date was organized at our house with the little girl of Jasmina’s friend who is also my husband’s cousin. Her name is Mireille and she’s a good year younger than Sébastien. They posed for pictures, and after snacks we supervised their playing. Sébastien is used to playing with adults, and he’s quite organized. You spill the Dora dominoes, find matches, and then you put them back. But Mireille was sure that it was more fun to scoop them up in their tin, shake them about and spill them standing up. It was all too much for Sébastien. In his mind, that was all wrong. For the adults it was a little amusing, and Jasmina took it to heart to teach Sébastien how to share and interact with kids his own age. Now, first thing in the morning and last thing at night, Sébastien will ask “Me, school?”. Pre-school is twice a week, and on dialysis days, a teacher comes by to visit Sébastien with school activities. With the cold and flu season arriving, David and Jasmina decided this week that it was best Sébastien stay away. Jasmina’s thinking of trying the Montessori method of homeschooling. If you have resources or ideas, I think she’d love to hear from you.

When are there going to be pictures? Or videos? This week! I’m working on it today.

Why is posting so sporadic, and what’s up with the website? The main reason is that I’m now a full time student and part time office clerk. So, l’m a bit busier. When Sébastien is doing well, I don’t write as much or as often. As there is news, I’ll be writing. As for the website… I’m as frustrated as you… I hope the hosting company will be able to get things up soon. For now, the best is to keep Place de Choix in your bookmarks or favorites. If you google Place de Choix, we’re the first ones up!

What’s next for Sébastien? We hope he maintains his good health and that sometime in the near future, new kidneys come in view!