Discharged...

Ben will be discharged at some point today. Of course, no seizure activity from him since we've been here. We have the option of having some more testing done, but we are going to wait until Ben is finished with his student teaching to look into it. He can only miss a certain number of days and he has used them all up this week...Not much else is new...Ben is really looking forward to being able to walk around and taking a SHOWER! (I will like the latter myself) Our friends, Rick & Brittany Leiviska are helping us by taking care of Peter last night and today so we are looking forward to picking him up, visiting them and we'll take them out to dinner too. We are both excited to be amongst adults in society tonight. It's amazing how only 4 days in the hospital can make you go a little crazy. Our hearts sure do go out to the people who are here terminally or indefinitely. Thanks for all the love and support. I'll post again when we are settled back in Mankato! Peace.

Tired...Tired...Tired

Not much is new in Rochester. Yesterday they ran a few tests on Ben. They made him breathe hard until he hyperventilated and they did another test where they flashed a strobe light in his eyes. We'll get the results this morning when the doctor's do their rounds. Last night Ben wasn't allowed to sleep because they want to see how he does when he is sleep-deprived so we are both very tired. I stayed up with him last night and we are looking forward to napping today. We'll keep you updated when we know more!

Life at the hospital...

Hello Everyone...

Ben and I arrived at St. Mary's Hospital today in Rochester. Ben has been hooked up to 33 wires (they are stuck to his head) since 8am. He will wear these for the duration of his testing and he won't be allowed to shower! The nurses will be monotoring his brainwaves via the wires and by a camera and audio device hooked up in his room. It's all kind of creepy if you ask me! But they promise that they really don't pay any attention to personal conversations unless we're talking about them! :) He can't leave his bed without calling the nurse. He doesn't like having a stranger right outside the bathroom door waiting to watch him walk back to bed. He tested their system and by just having his leg dangling off the bed he set off the alarm for the nurse. So they've sure got it rigged in there! Ben was told to stop taking his seizure medication and now we just wait...and wait...and wait...and wait some more. Tonight Ben gets to sleep like normal and tomorrow night (Wednesday) he has to stay up all night and see what sleep deprivation does to him. I have been staying with Ben's parents but I will stay with Ben overnight when they won't let him sleep. He will enjoy having someone to talk to all night long. The doctor's came by today and examined him a lot. They will be back around 9am tomorrow morning. We could be here up to a week...hopefully they find something soon so that it doesn't take that long but we'll do whatever it takes to get some answers. Oh and Ben's room is newly-remodeled, HUGE and has a flat screen TV with Video On Demand. It's nicer than most of the hotel rooms I've slept in over the course of my life, that's for sure! Well it's getting late and I need my rest so that I can entertain my buddy all day tomorrow. Come back for more updates while we're in Rochester!

Back to Mayo!

We received a call yesterday from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. Our name came up on the waiting list so we are able to begin Ben's Prolonged EEG test next Tuesday, January 23rd instead of the 29th. This works out better for my work schedule and for Ben's student teaching, so we're thrilled. We'll leave town on Monday afternoon and spend the night at Ben's parents place in Randolph, MN (35 miles north of Rochester). Right away Tuesday morning Ben will have a regular EEG done at the Mayo Clinic and then we'll head over to St. Mary's Hospital for the 2-5 day stay. I'll try to keep you all posted on here as we know more. Thanks for all the prayers and support!

Mayo Clinic

Yesterday Ben had an appointment in Rochester at the Mayo Clinic. It was a long day of meeting with doctors. He had an MRI in the afternoon and that's about it for now. We are scheduled to go back on January 29th (we're on a waiting list for sooner) and Ben will be admitted into St. Mary's Hospital where he will undergo a Prolonged EEG test. It's the same as a regular EEG (wires connected to the head) but it's for 2-5 days. He'll get to watch movies and play video games in his hotel-like hospital room while they monitor his brain. Until that is over, we won't know much. We'll keep you all posted!

Surgery

Hello Everyone! This morning Peter had surgery to have ear tubes implanted. He did pretty well through the whole thing. We were at the surgery center by 6:45am. We played in the lobby until they called us back to the pre-op room. When we got in there, we had to put a little teeny gown on Peter. (It was really cute) The nurse said we could pull him around in a wagon in the hall until surgery time. He was getting cranky because he wasn't able to eat or drink anything. So I put him in the wagon and pulled him around for awhile. He liked it a lot...but eventually he tired of it and wanted to roam elsewhere. We followed him around in the halls. There was another little boy named Blake who was a little bit younger than Peter having the same procedure done and his mommy was pulling him around in a wagon. Well, we were standing in the hallway and a nurse came and wheeled Blake and his wagon through the swinging double doors to the operating room and then Peter REFUSED to get back in the wagon. I know that he didn't have a clue what was going on, but he sure knew something was different and that Blake's mommy didn't go with him through the doors. :( Eventually the nurse came and took Peter from me and he sure was upset but he got quiet pretty quick from the gaseous anesthesia. Within 15 minutes the procedure itself was done, he was put into Recovery Room 1 until he woke up and was in Recovery Room 2 waiting with tears for his mommy and daddy. (The nurses said that all kids Peter's age cry because it is a side effect of the gas) Our nurse brought Peter a big sippee cup of apple juice and before we left he was eating handfuls of Goldfish crackers. The surgeon told us that Peter's right ear was much worse then his left ear and that he drained a lot of "gunk" from it. He gave us a prescription for an ear infection antibiotic which isn't typical but Peter's ears were bad enough that it is necessary for the next 10 days. We also have to administer drops in his ears twice a day for 10 days. The three of us then went to McDonald's to eat breakfast around 9am and then we picked up the prescriptions. We are glad that this little hurdle has been jumped and we are looking forward to a good listening boy! When we got home, Peter pushed some buttons on his musical toys and he kept turning his head side-to-side...we can already tell that he is hearing better! Next week we are off to Rochester-Mayo for Ben to have some tests done regarding his nocturnal seizures. I believe they have computers for family use there (and I am staying with Ben's parents so I can always use theirs) so I will keep updating the blog so you can follow the Gergen Family Medical Dramas of 2007. Have a great day!

Wedding Weekend & Peter's Return Home

This past weekend, Ben and I were in a wedding up in Minneapolis. The bride and groom (Luke and Melissa) are friends of ours from our church here in Mankato. They were in our wedding as well 2 1/2 years ago. It was a fun-filled weekend. We were able to see a lot of our college friends that we no longer get to see very often due to careers, distance and babies. The weather was nice, the ceremony was beautiful and the food was delicious. A great time was had by all! Peter was up in East Grand Forks with Grandpa Punky and Grandma Berta. He did really well with them this past week, except he got a little crabby at times because he is working on pushing some teeth out. They handled it like pros though and kept him comfortable. They drove to St. Cloud yesterday (Sunday) and we met them after the gift opening to get Peter. He was excited to see us, but he definitely showed his attachment to Grandpa and Grandma. :) When we got back to our house in Mankato, Peter ran around a lot to check things out. He loved being back in his room. He ran from his room to the living room a whole bunch of times out of excitement. He played with a lot of his toys that he hasn't seen in over 2 weeks! (As you can see, he loves his Mr. Potato Head glasses) It was nice to get some normalcy back into our lives after returning home. And today we are back to the grind, ready to finally start the New Year! Tomorrow (Tuesday) Peter has surgery to get tubes placed in his ears to help his recurring ear infections and hearing issues. We are a little nervous, yet excited to get over this hurdle so that he starts feeling better and is able to communicate with us better. Keep him in your prayers. I'll try to post again later in the week after surgery. Bye for now!

Christmas & New Year's!

Ben, Peter and I had a great Christmas and New Year's! We were up in EGF from December 22nd until yesterday, January 1st. (Peter is staying up there with my parents until January 7th as Ben and I are in a wedding next weekend so they have to take care of him for us!) We took over a 100 pictures in the last couple of weeks but I've provided just a few of the highlights...
From Santa Clause, Peter got a Little People Farm with all kinds of animals and people figurines to go with it. It makes a bunch of animal noises. He also got a pink piggy bank with big plastic coins from Santa. It counts and makes songs. He loves it! On Christmas Eve afternoon we went over to my grandparent's house (Peter's great-grandparents) and we opened some presents. Peter got a train, teddy bear and a shape sorter. He likes the shape sorter the best. :) Peter and Bella took a picture with Great Grandpa Bob and Great Grandma Ione. Later in the evening on Christmas Eve, we fondue'd (if you don't know what that is, ask someone and they will tell you) at my parents place with my aunt from Chicago, Becky and Brad, Amy and Bella. We opened our family presents after that. Brad, Amy and Grandpa Punky and Grandma Berta spoiled Peter rotten! Peter's Godmother "Auntie" Haley was in town so we got to spend a lot of time with her and her fiancee Jacob. We went out together a few times. Ben and my brother Brad played in a poker tournament one night. There were 60 guys and it lasted around 4 hours and Ben made it to the last table! I won $20 playing Bingo that night. Peter woke up on December 30th with a new tooth...7 total now. We were going to drive back to Mankato on New Year's Eve because Ben was supposed to work on New Year's Day at Menards, but the weather from Grand Forks down to St. Cloud was horrible so Ben had to call in to work and tell them he couldn't make it. We went out to eat with my sister-in-law Amy and a bunch of her family to the Bar/Restaurant that my brother Brad manages. We had lobster and walleye. Then we saw a live comedian and waited with family and friends for the ball to drop to welcome 2007! Ben and I have been together for 4 New Year's now and this one was the first one where we were both in the same town, in the same place at the same time when the clock turned over so we finally got to kiss at midnight. It was great...yes a picture for that too! We experienced so much more fun and excitement over the past 2 weeks, but there isn't enough time in the day to explain it all here. We hope you and your family had a wonderful holiday season! We sure did!
FYI: Peter is going to be getting tubes in his ears on January 9th. He will be put to sleep for it and it should all turn out ok, but please keep him (and us) in your prayers during this time. Also, Ben will be having some tests done at Mayo Clinic of Rochester during the week of January 15th so please keep him in your prayers for that as we hope to find some answers regarding his nocturnal seizures. Hopefully God will reveal some of His mysteries to us through the wonderful doctors there. Thanks and have a healthy and happy 2007! (We sure are trying!)