Purdy Family Stories: Endoscope

Though our bloodwork was as conclusive as it could be that we were dealing with Celiac disease, the GI specialist recommended proceeding with an endoscope and biopsy of her small intestine. According to them, this was the only way to get a 100% firm diagnosis, as well as to assess the level of damage that had been done. Their arguments were persuasive enough to convince us to go ahead with it, and they were able to get her in only three days after her initial appointment - we were especially thankful for this as we had to keep gluten in her diet until this procedure was done.

We took her to the Golden Corral for her last gluten-filled meal EVER - as an added perk, Grandma and Grandpa Purdy were able to join us, too.

By the looks of that belly, I'd say our "last meal" was a success

We got prepared the night before for an early morning. Megan did her part by making me a detailed list of her school lunch requirements.

And, of course, school was cancelled for her after a snowstorm and arctic chill that left the expressways looking like this on Thursday morning. (Thank God for good neighbors, who kept Megan entertained most of the day while we dealt with Hannah at the hospital)

All checked in at the hospital...and seemingly quite happy to be there (?)

She spent the first hour of her morning entertaining the Child Life staff with her mad ipad skills

The IV experience (which required two tries) did not go well - that being the understatement of the century - but she eventually settled back in with the ipad while waiting for the doctor to arrive

She is currently obsessed with Candy Land, and we surprised her with the Disney Princess version that morning. We even had time for a game while we waited.

The procedure itself only took about 5 minutes. After a bad IV experience, she didn't want any of the doctors or nurses anywhere near her, and she was screaming right until the point the drugs knocked her out. This was not pleasant for Mom & Dad to watch, but before we knew it they were coming to fetch us in the waiting room to be there when she woke up. She was enjoying the best nap of her life, so we took a few minutes to talk with the doctor. He said the test left no doubt that we were dealing with Celiacs, and the little villi that are supposed to line her small intestine and soak up the nutrients from the food she eats weren't just damaged, they were absent. That was the bad news, but the good news is we know exactly what we need to do to fix it, and we can manage her condition through diet alone. Aside from routine bloodwork (approximately every six months), she won't require a lot of continuing care. Of course we would prefer that she not be diseased at all, but on the spectrum of incurable conditions, this is probably one of the more manageable ones.