The "So What" of Headaches

Much effort is put into making time spent at the hospital fun.  This visit was no different.  We may not be a Starwars family, but even so, how can you resist R2D2?

This is the face of tired, but excited boy heading home after an unexpected night at Lurie.

A family that wears Wikki Stix glasses together......well, I don't know how to end that statement.  There was a family contest to see who built the best glasses as we had several models to pick from.

That headache of Jonah's that I was concerned about?  It persisted and then added a few episodes of vomiting to the mix.  Nothing classes up an after-school cookie decorating party like someone throwing up all over the floor.  The vomiting was our "do not pass go, do not collect $200" card that sent us straight to Lurie.  When your trip to the ER starts at 7:00, you know it's going to be a long evening.  As worries of shunt malfunction and recurrence swirled around in everyone's minds, x-rays and CTs were underway.  In a turn of unexpectedly benign results - it turns out Jonah just needed a little support to get things moving in the digestive department.  You see - Jonah's shunt has a terminal end in his abdomen, so added pressure in his gut can make his shunt misbehave and cause headaches and vomiting.  As these conclusions were drawn around 11:00, the conservative direction of neurosurgery dictated a hospital stay to make sure that they could get things moving.  Constipation is much easier to resolve than a shunt malfunction or recurrence, and the team was amenable to discharge the next day.  Such an alarming 24 hours, with such a happy ending.  And now we've learned that when Jonah has a headache, we should think about when he last pooped.  Every experience in cancer-land makes us smarter and more prepared.

The sweetest part of this unexpected hospital stay, was the highlight of the bond that runs between Jonah and Julia. Within 10 minutes of waking in the hospital, Jonah asked if Julia was coming to visit and was disappointed to hear that she would not be making a visit.  Meanwhile, at home, Julia had commandeered Granny's phone and was hiding behind a curtain telling Siri that she needed Siri to make her brother better so he could come home from the hospital because she loved him so very much.  The 2 of them then began to send each other text messages filled with emojis and voice memos proclaiming their deep love for each other.  Their relationship really is what sibling fairy tales are made of.

On the other side of this scare, we lean even more into the ideas of hope and celebration (as seen by wikki stix glasses).  We continue to seek God in the journey and remember that He lights our next step, not our next 7 steps.  This remembrance is an exercise in trust that better prepares our hearts for the next lesson we have to learn.  As we step into the next lit step, we pray that we do with hope and celebration for the blessings of today, which include, simply the need to poop.