Three Charlotte Appointments

The boys and I got up early early and left at 5:30 for their endocrine appointments. The doctor saw both boys together, so we were done early and did not have to wait for the second appointment! It pays to have an early appointment. We were out before 9:00.

Andrew got a good report and does not have to go back for a year. We did not do labs, but we ended up getting one at his next appointment since they were drawing blood anyway. Dr. Parker said that he looks good and strong and called him a lean, mean, fighting machine. He doesn't know the half of it! Since Andrew is already two full inches past Dr. Parker's projection he gave me last year, I guess he is tickled with his progress. He talked to him a little bit about driving, his upcoming senior year, and college!

Then it was Sam's turn. His a1c was down a little more and right below where they want it. I told him about Sam's 23, and he thought that was unbelievable. However, since he was 33 a little bit after; we know it was that low! I told him I was in charge of him and had given him insulin, so he just reiterated as usual how important it is to keep checking him. He said his injection sites look great and seemed very pleased with his numbers and how he looks.

We went to the Southpark Mall to kill time and eat lunch before the next appointment. Sam found an Ipod that he liked (he said). And I thought, "Oh no!" He and Andrew spent some time in the Apple store. We missed one road going to the next appointment, but fortunately I had Rachel google it for me, and we found where we went the wrong way! I do enjoy driving through those beautiful old neighborhoods.

Dr. Patel spent a lot of time with us. He talked to us about going ahead with some more special testing. Having Sam with us as a reminder of the diabetes may have made him decide not to wait. Some of the tests take a long time. He also wanted to test some absorption things with some vitamins. He also wanted to enroll Andrew in a study - just using his information but not his name, etc. We will keep doing what we are doing, and we hope to hear those new numbers in the next couple of days. Dr. Patel is not sticking with a certain number until we go through a season of illness and determine what is best for Andrew. I still have hope that he will not have to do this for life. Being in the study will give us more information, and, at the very least, help others. Unfortunately, Andrew has a most remarkable medical history (per Dr. Patel); but we are always willing to help others if we can. I know the doctors at Vanderbilt told me that they had seen so little of the lipodystrophy that they remembered and used some of my descriptions and pictures because there just wasn't that kind of information available. I only told them what I knew and what I saw and appreciated that they listened! Same with this. Anything we have had tested or found out may be able to help someone else. And others on the registry may be able to help us.

For such a hot day with an early start, we did pretty well. We were glad to finally get home this evening. However, it still felt like we were off the mountain with the heat.

Thanks so much for the prayers. I appreciate you asking about Andrew - and Sam.

The Bear was last Thursday. I have very limited computer time, so I did not share that Andrew was 22nd! He did not run his best time, nor did he have any easy race; but he did what he could do. And we are thankful for that and happy for him. Peter was 10th and had a difficult race as well. He could not run last year, so it was great to see him out there. Being up on that mountain takes your breath away - first, if you ride the bus up and the driver stops while you feel like you are almost vertical hanging in the clouds. But second is best. The views and the majesty of what God made just cannot be ignored! It is absolutely beautiful. I feel so thankful to be able to see that. We still pray for the rider (and his family) in the Grizzly the next morning who was killed in a wreck. He was eight places behind Andrew in The Bear. Something like that sure changes my perspective on things. None of us are guaranteed another day here on this earth. So the important things immediately shift to the front. The most important, of course, being knowing where we will go when we die and why. Not wondering, but knowing. How thankful I am that we can know.

Thanks again! I will email his numbers when I get them.

Wendi