Ups and Downs

The whole last week has been a series of ups and downs for Tate. Treatment days are HARD. Steroid weeks are miserable. This time Tate had the added problem of nausea and severe stomach pain. Tate has an emergency button in his room he can push if he needs something, and the sound blasts through the whole house. He rarely uses it, but when he does we all race to his room as soon as we hear it.

Last week Tate rang his bell. We treated him with all the “stomach stuff” he has been prescribed, and gradually he started feeling better. The pain lasted for three days, with varying degrees of intensity. It was the kind of thing that woke me up in the middle of the night to google pancreatitis symptoms because it’s something he was tested for previously when he had abdominal pain. To add insult to injury, the cat scratched him when he was feeling his worst. Cats…

Then suddenly he was fine. He walked to the kitchen, served himself some meat lovers pizza, and sat down on the floor to eat by the dog. The dog didn’t even try to steal his food, which is unheard of.

I’m really proud of Tate. Yesterday he walked into and out of his Occupational Therapy appointment. He had to travel up the curb and two steps to get into the clinic, and then he worked really hard during his appointment. On the way home he was so tired he was fighting tears.

The night ended really well. Tate’s friend Clark came over shortly after the therapy appointment and hung out all night. And he brought cookies! They were so so good. A few other friends came over, too, and when I brought Tate his night meds around 9:00pm, there were four extra people sitting on his comfy bed, laughing and talking. That truly is the best medicine.