Neurology Visit - Quarantine Style

Do you see a trend here? Teddy had a big week of appointments this week, including appointments with an allergist regarding his reactions to three different families of antibiotics and his regular neurology appointment.

His allergy visit was non-eventful because that was a virtual visit, which was so much easier than wrestling Teddy in an actual doctor's office. In fact, the allergist didn't see Teddy at all, and I just discussed his different reactions with her. The good news is they're able to remove one of his allergies, and there's a second one that we could consider some modified testing (because she's very understanding of Teddy's tolerance for waiting in an exam room) to possibly remove. So, that's something we'll look at once life settles into a new normal where human contact is allowed.

His neurology visit was live and in person, though. Although we had some hesitations in taking him out in public, we decided it was worth it to ensure he has the right protection from his anti-seizure medication should he become ill. (Also, postponing a neurology appointment means you won't be seen for several months, so there was that to consider.) We both planned to accompany him to better entertain and keep him out of trouble since we didn't want him to touch all the things he usually would. But the day before his visit, the final screening call for symptoms also informed us that only one "visitor" was permitted.

Nothing like a doctor's appointment to motivate you to sew a few masks. 

So I took Teddy to the clinic, wearing my stylish new mask made with supplies donated by one of my running friends. I didn't bother attempting a mask on Teddy since it would only end up on the ground. We used his chair in an effort to keep him contained and avoid touching things and headed inside. We made it through the initial screening, and thankfully, they didn't make me attempt to put a mask on Teddy.

It was weird to see so few patients and every single staff wearing not only masks but also eye protection. They had the reception desks blocked to keep 6 feet of distance between you and the receptionist. Teddy and I had the waiting room to ourselves, which is good because eventually he wiggled out of his chair, so I danced and twirled him and got rides in his chair to keep him from touching anything other than my hands and his chair.

Once we got into the exam room, though, I had to remove him from his chair. So he touched pretty much everything there, but he didn't lick anything. I'll consider that a win. (The really good news is that they are completely sanitizing the exam rooms between every appointment and wiping down every surface.) Teddy did remarkably well with his vitals and interactions with both the nurse and the doctor, despite them looking different with masks and face shields.

I absolutely adore his neurologist. He is brilliant, yet explains things in common language without making you feel like you're an idiot. He's incredibly personable, checks on how we're doing as parents and interacts amazingly with Teddy. In fact, the first thing he told Teddy is that he normally would give him a hug but couldn't today. He's creative in his evaluation of Teddy, avoiding the need to do labs by looking for physical signs of any reactions to his medications. His stuffed parrot Jabber couldn't join us today, but he still checked Sponge Bob, Squarepants, Tigger and Pooh Bear as he checked Teddy's different body parts. He sees nothing but good in Teddy and wants to make sure we're comfortable with the treatment plan.

Teddy's Keppra is increasing slightly, an extra milliliter a day over the course of a week, to accommodate for his growth and keep him at a good level. His doctor said that some might consider weaning from Keppra after one or two years seizure free, but he'd look for at least four years for Teddy. I said that after he ended up in the ICU when we tried to wean him after 2 years, we're good with him staying on Keppra indefinitely. He certainly understands and wants the same thing we do, which is to keep Teddy safe particularly during this pandemic.

It was a different visit, shorter than usual simply because we're minimizing risk by minimizing contact. He offered the chance to wait a year until our next visit, but I took the 6-month option because I'd rather we have that appointment if needed. Also, it's honestly a pleasure to see him, which isn't the case for most doctor visits.