Today, what appeared to be a stone was found in Easton's stool - an ultrasound was done and we were right - the stone was gone! Praise God for answered prayers! The stone was sent away to a bio-chemist for testing. The doctors decided we could go home and will continue on the medication for 6 weeks. We will be contacted for the dates for clinic check-ups. We are so thankful for these results! Even though Easton will no longer need surgery the doctors still need to know why the gallstone was formed. Easton will still have the MSCP scope done - he will go under general anaesthesia to determine if there are any abnormalities that would cause the gallstone to form.

Psalm 120:1 "I call on the Lord in my distress, and he answers me."

Carling and Mike

We really appreciate the outpouring of support that we have received from so many people. What a blessing to be part of the communion of saints! The doctors have decided that after the first round of antibiotics are finished we will start a second round. They have shown me how to administer them so we can go home - hopefully Friday after another ultrasound. They have also decided on surgery at Toronto Sick Kids as the next step so I will be giving Easton the antibiotics up until then. We are praying the stone will pass before then. Although surgery isn't ideal it was determined this was better then leaving the stone. A surgeon who removes gallstones in adults will be performing the surgery although he is not too keen on it because of the risk of damaging the biliary tubes, given his small size. An instrument small enough was located and will need to be transported to Sick Kids in order to complete the surgery - we expect this to happen in about 3 weeks. An ultrasound will be done in pre-op to determine if the stone is still there and whether or not we need to go ahead with the surgery. After the surgery he will be put under general anaesthesia and a MRCP scope will be done to see if there are any deformities in the tracts and tubes that could cause the gallstone to form in such a small baby. The expected time we will be in Toronto is about 10 days. For now we will have appointments every few days to check in with the GI specialist. Easton continues to be in good spirits and full of smiles for everyone.

Carling and Mike

Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to me, all who are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Just a quick update - we have received blood work results and Easton's levels have been showing improvement as well as his stools gaining almost all of the pigment back. With these results we went into the ultrasound last night quite confident. It was a little discouraging to find in the ultrasound that the stone was still there. The GI specialists are confused with these results because he appears to be 'too healthy' for a baby with this condition. With the three other cases the IV treatment had worked within 48 hours. Now the doctors don't have a previous case study to go off of. They are now consulting one another and until further notice he will finish off the IV treatment. There are a lot of unknowns but what is known is that Easton is being fully held in the Great Physician's hands and He knows the plans he has for us! There is no better comfort!

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Carling and Mike

James 1:2-4 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

Thank-you for your prayers, words of encouragement, babysitting, meals and support! Our family has been truly blessed to have such an amazing support system. This blog will keep you informed and updated on Easton's health.
For the last two months I have felt that something was off with Easton - he always seemed uncomfortable and unsettled. Many doctor visits were made but everything checked out fine - he seemed to be a healthy baby. This past Saturday evening Easton had had three white stools and this didn't seem right so I headed to the ER at McMaster Hospital. After extensive blood work the doctors determined his levels weren't what they should be. More blood work was ordered and it appeared his liver function was being compromised. We were able to go home that night but had to come back on Sunday for an ultrasound. The results showed Easton had gallstones lodged at the bottom of his biliary tubes. This is an extremely rare condition that needed to be addressed immediately. Unfortunately the doctors had never seen this in a child before and we were told Easton had become famous in the medical field! A team of gastrointestinal specialists was put together and researched only 3 other cases found in Australia. Initially surgery to remove the gallstone was thought to be the best option but since Easton is only 4 months old there was neither a pediatric surgeon or instruments small enough to perform the surgery. It was deemed much to dangerous for a baby so young. The next option was a cocktail of four different antibiotics, given through IV over a 10 day period. We will be staying at the hospital for the next week; when all the tests come back we will have a better idea. We trusted it was a good place to be and knew our way around from our many recent visits to our niece, Evelyn Horsman. They've taught us the ins and outs of hospital life and now we no longer meet at each others houses for coffee but rather the various playrooms at Mac :). We were admitted Monday night, Easton was hooked up to his IV and treatment was started. Today is Friday and we are currently waiting on results from more blood work. Another ultrasound is scheduled for today to see the progress of the antibiotics. This is a trial so the doctors cannot anticipate the outcome - we can only pray the Lord guides the doctors hands and take it day by day. In the difficult times we are placing our feet on the only solid ground there is - God's truth.

Nahum 1:7 "The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him

Carling and Mike