Test in Progress

Tom and Bryce after a session at the Bountiful Temple

Krissy and Bryce- They asked if we were married.  Mom is flattered!

Tom and Krissy

Beautiful sky and wonderful night taking family names to the temple.

We have been waiting for some results, from the Mayo Clinic, from Bryce's labs and Video Capsule Endoscopy (VCE). Friday evening, Dr Burdick's office called to talk with us to see if Bryce could come back to the Mayo Clinic for further testing. Dr Burdick is the Gastroenterologist (GI doctors specialize in the digestive system.) During the VCE, they discovered that Bryce has multiple ulcers throughout his small intestine. His lymph nodes in his small intestine are also infected and he has a bulge somewhere that is coming from outside the lining of the small intestine. The problem with just having an endoscopy and colonoscopy, was that neither one of them could get access to the problem. I'm really sorry if this is too graphic for you.

Dr Burdick would like to run some more tests to check for Crohn's Disease and other Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. This would include another Colon Prep and this time they would perform a Double Balloon Endoscopy/Colonoscopy so that they can reach in far enough to take some of the infected tissue for another biopsy. Dr Burdick also asked if he could begin treatments on Bryce. (We need to get it approved with insurance first.) Crohn's Disease and Inflammatory Bowel Disease are autoimmune related. With Bryce's blood work he had done previously, have pointed to being something in the autoimmune category, however, his blood work would be elevated one time and then 3 weeks later it would go back to normal. His bloodwork from the Mayo Clinic came back elevated when testing for autoimmune diseases. This time it was really elevated!

The story behind all of this:

Previous to the Mayo Clinic, Bryce has had two Colonoscopies/Endoscopies. The doctor's couldn't find any answers and told us to try a gluten free diet and a dairy diet. Which we did, with no change. We had also been in for several visits with our Immunologist, Dr Jones, who ran a thorough exam with several blood tests. In November, we met with Dr Jones and he suggested we get him to the Mayo Clinic and that he felt that whatever was going on in his body was because of his degestive system. He is the reason we made it to the Mayo Clinic. His office was quick to respond and send in any information we needed to get our insurance company to approve our visit. Even if it did take them 5 months to approve it.

When we were at the Mayo Clinic, we already had a scheduled appointment with a different GI Doctor, but it wasn't until June 5. The scheduler suggested we come in early (7:30 a.m.) on Friday (May 16) morning and check with the GI office to see if we could get in. We checked in at 7:30 and waited for the office to let us know. Within 15 minutes we received a phone call stating that Dr Burdick would see Bryce at 8:00.

Dr Burdick walked in with a very solemn face and sat down at his computer desk. He asked us to give him a few minutes while he reviewed Bryce's medical history. It was a very silent and we felt a little awkward. I pulled out all of the information we had on Bryce that would be helpful for him. As he talked to us, his big smile and concern for Bryce, warmed us right up. Dr Burdick couldn't understand why we had been going this long without treatment, even though he wasn't even sure what was going on. He scheduled Bryce for his Endoscopy and VCE for Monday. While we sat in his office and discussed his health, both Bryce and I felt like Dr Burdick was going to be able to help us.

Heavenly Father has a way of helping us get things worked out. This challenge is not one I would wish on anyone, especially my children. It is definitely going to be a lifetime challenge for Bryce, but we are so grateful for the many advances that have been made in medicine. We are hoping that all will go well with our continuing pursuit in getting Bryce diagnosed and better. We thank you all for your love, support and prayers- we feel them everyday. I truly mean that! We have felt uplifted so many times as things around us seemed to be falling apart. I am grateful for the peaceful feelings we receive when we know we are at the right place with the right doctor. We had that confirmation with Dr West who performed Bryce's hip surgeries. We have felt it with Dr Jones our Immunologist and we have felt it with Dr Burdick. I know our prayers have been answered. We hope you are all well and know of our Heavenly Father's love for you.