Second Annual “Blogging for TSC Awareness Month” Day 19

by guest blogger Courtney Bailey  

May 23, 2013… the day that my got heart broken. Two weeks prior we had found out that we were expecting our fourth boy, yes four boys! The ultrasound went well but he was lying in a position they couldn’t get any good heart pictures. We went back to get some pictures of his heart. I knew something was wrong when she kept measuring and remeasuring and taking picture after picture. My husband, Phil , had to return to work. I sat alone in the waiting room until every last person was gone. When they finally called me back, a complete stranger told me that our son had some spots on his heart. She assured me it would be nothing and I just needed to get another ultrasound to be sure. Nothing to worry about she said. I knew differently.  On June 6, we learned that our precious son likely had Tuberous Sclerosis.  The tiny two white spots on his heart had turned into numerous large tumors, including a very large tumor on the outside of his heart. It was making his heart beat faster than usual and he was developing fluid around his heart. We made weekly trips to Iowa City for appointments, ultrasounds and echocardiograms.  Seventeen straight weeks of going for testing. I look back now and see all the trips as a blessing. I got to spend a lot of one-on-one time with my husband.  We grew closer instead of apart.

I was induced a few days early and my wish that I would get to hold him came true. I held him for just a moment and he was whisked away to the high-level NICU.  When they finally wheeled me to see Lelan, my husband mentioned that they were looking at a weird skin mark on his belly and that moment I knew for sure that he had Tuberous Sclerosis. He went through a multitude of tests. One morning a new doctor we had never seen came in and told us that his MRI showed multiple brain tumors. My heart was literally shattered in my chest; it was the worst moment in my life thus far. We got to take him home that day but I felt like my life was moving in slow motion. We still had three happy rambunctious boys to care for. I felt like I was constantly staring at Lelan to see if he was having a seizure. Every twitch, jerk, wiggle — all over analyzed. It was making me insane. I was crying myself to sleep each night. My husband said I would even cry in my sleep. The constant worry, the heartache, the what-ifs were wearing me away.  I decided to change my view; there was nothing that I could do to protect Lelan. I had to just give up and let God protect him. God loves Lelan more than I ever could. We made many more weekly trips, tests, and procedures. The heart tumors they said would shrink weren’t shrinking until one day they had just shrunk drastically. The more I tried to let go and let God handle it, the more I was able to enjoy Lelan and the other boys, ages 7, 3, and 1, and not just worry about what was going to happen to Lelan and  this stupid disease that had stormed into our lives without a warning. I was back to enjoying my kids, my husband and choosing to be joyful and live with purpose.

Our story is better than a lot of other TS kids; being a TS mom can be a VERY lonely place. People don’t understand unless they are in the shoes. Lelan is 8 months now and he crawls and pulls himself up. He babbles Mama and Dada and he feeds himself. We are fully aware that at any moment he could start having seizures and our lives could change drastically.. But for now we are completely living in the moment.  We read that extra bedtime story, we sometimes have ice cream for breakfast, and we see each and every day as such a gift and blessing. I lay my head down every night and thank God that Lelan didn’t have any seizures. We use Frankincense essential oil on Lelan every day in hopes to shrink his tumors. He still has heart tumors and brain tumors, and he also has lost the pigment in spots on his legs and stomach. I have done a lot of research where frankincense can help or prevent seizures. I’m clinging to the hope that it will work for us. You can email me at Baileycp731@live.com if you are interested in more info on essential oils. We are blessed, we are lucky, and we are so very loved. My advice is to keep talking, don’t hold in the worry — it will eat you up. TS is a mean and cruel disease that is different in every single person. The what-ifs will take over your life if you let it. We choose JOY at the Bailey house.