By Cathy Jameson

Early Friday morning, we headed out of town with Ronan.  We’d be meeting up with one of Ronan’s doctors, a favorite doctor who helped us during a scary medical moment a few years ago.  Ronan hasn’t needed the extensive care he received then.  Regularly scheduled visits to the clinic, and timely follow-up discussions, have thankfully kept that issue at bay.  Nevertheless, I get nervous anytime we have a big trip to see any one of our medical providers.

Days before it’s time to leave, I mentally review a few things:

– who we’re seeing

-what we’re currently managing

-why we’re going (is it for a new problem?  a follow-up?  or just a yearly check-in kind of appointment?)

I start prepping a few things also:

-the kids’ and my husband’s schedules (does anything need to be rearranged?)

-Ronan’s supplement/medication list (have we changed anything?  or recently added anything?)

-my list of current observations and important questions we’ve thought of

Then I think about which one of Ronan’s go-to items might need to go with us:

-his prayer shawl

-his favorite book and picture

-his ipad

I try not to get nervous, but I’d be lying if I said I’m always cool as a cucumber when I meet with Ronan’s team.  That’s why I get as many things taken care of ahead of time before we leave.  Last week, after I’d gone over my lists and felt confident everything was taken care of, the care team called to go over a few things with me.  I was caught off guard with one of their questions.

“Is he going to be admitted after the procedure?”

What? 

“Were you planning on staying overnight?”

“Oh!  I don’t think so,” I stammered.  “That hadn’t been mentioned to us, but…I…”

“It’s a good idea to have an overnight bag with you in case they do admit him,” the nurse replied.

My mental list now included thinking of every worst-case scenario that could possibly ever exist. 

I know I shouldn’t think of the worst.  But that day, and the following two days before the procedure, I did think the worst.  While getting Ronan’s stuff ready the night before my husband saw me packing a larger “Go Bag” with extra clothes and some toiletries.  Looking at me quizzically, I said, “Someone suggested we have overnight items with us in case Ronan gets admitted.”  It’s not a terrible idea to have one ready.  It’s just that terrible things would have to happen for us to have to stay overnight at a hospital. 

We’ve had to do that before. 

Because a terrible thing did happen. 

Even though, after the procedure, the doctor started one of his conversations with us by saying, “There’s good news and bad news…” we were fortunately able to go home soon after Ronan’s appointment ended.

Good news is oh, so good! 

But that looming potential bad news? 

Let’s just say that it doesn’t really help a mama’s worried heart. 

We still have some issues to address, which could include adding another provider to the team.  We’ll wait until after the lab work is reviewed before making any changes to the current treatment plan or adding any new people to the team.  When we can look at the big picture, together with one of our favorite doctors, we’ll brainstorm what we can do.  Only then will I also consider what, if anything, we need to worry about.  I don’t like to worry, but that’s sometimes part of life raising a child with special needs.

Cathy Jameson is a Contributing Editor for Age of Autism.

The Wuhan Cover-Up: And the Terrifying Bioweapons Arms Race (Children’s Health Defense) 

“Gain-of-function” experiments are often conducted to deliberately develop highly virulent, easily transmissible pathogens for the stated purpose of developing preemptive vaccines for animal viruses before they jump to humans. More insidious is the “dual use” nature of this research, specifically directed toward bioweapons development. The Wuhan Cover-Up pulls back the curtain on how the US government's increase in biosecurity spending after the 2001 terror attacks set in motion a plan to transform the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), under the direction of Dr. Anthony Fauci, into a de facto Defense Department agency.

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