Assessments

I got a phone call a few weeks back that I had totally forgotten that I'd be getting. It was a follow up reminder for Tyler. They had told us this would be coming when he had his surgery but my memory wasn't in its full glory at that time. They basically monitor kids from the ages of 3-8 both physically and mentally who have had this magnitude of surgery.
To tell you the truth, I've been kind of looking forward to it. We have never had any concerns about Tyler being behind in anything - we have actually marvelled at his advanced speech and thinking abilities. He's such a smart kid and it's so much fun to watch him learn. Physically we haven't noticed any hindrances or disabilities so we weren't terribly concerned in that area either.

Today was the day so Tyler and I went in for the morning of appointment. He met with both a pediatrician and a child psychologist. As the first doctor came to get us and Tyler (surprisingly, as he's pretty shy in new situations) began to chatter immediately. She turned to me after visiting with him for a bit and said "oh good. It's so good to have a case when they're doing well". I first felt pride, thinking "oh good, she sees what we see." But after a few more small comments from her it became apparent that this really was special to see...that a lot of kids who have had large surgeries at his age and been on a respirator for long periods of time aren't guaranteed to live unaffected lives. She said that muscular dystrophy and almost cerebral palsy-like symptoms have exhibited themselves in some kids. There can be tremors in their limbs, delayed walking, and lower comprehension levels. We heard similar things from the next doctor. There are many issues that can result from this sort of surgery, both physical and mental. This really rocked me on my heels. Today felt like yet another affirmation of the blessing that Tyler's healing has been. He went through such a major thing in his little life and yet is not just surviving...he's thriving. Excelling. Exceeding. I watched him beaming through his appointments and doing so well and breathed many prayers of thanks. We don't ever forget what a gift our son is.