CT Scan Results

I've been on pins and needles all day waiting to type up this post, and there's quite a story to go along with this, but I'll put that at the end so I can get the best part out of the way for you.  The doctor said his CT scan looked "pretty normal"!!  I'm not sure what he meant by that "pretty" part, but whatever, I WILL TAKE IT!  He said that the cochlear bone is present and formed, which means that Ryan will be a candidate for the cochlear implant!  I cannot tell you how thrilled we are.  Thank you all so much for praying and sending him positive thoughts.  I know these miracles are not small feats, and your prayers, all of our prayers, are definitely being heard.

So, for those not in a rush, here's the story to go along with this.  I really cannot understand how I ever navigated the health care system before I was forced to learn the ins and outs like this, and even now they STILL manage to let things slip by me!  I only share these stories because my hope is that if anyone else (God forbid) has to deal with doctors offices for whatever reason, they will have a little bit of an edge knowing the things that I'm learning from experience.  So here goes:

Last Friday, as you all know, I called the ENT office to find out when we would get the results of the CT scan.  They told me they would request the images on Monday and then it would take a few days to get to them, so if I didn't hear back from them by Friday I should call them.  OK, fine.  So I waited ever so patiently until Friday (today) and I called them back this morning.  I was told that the computers were down, so she couldn't check his file to see if the images were there, so she would call me back later when the computer system was back up.  OK, fine.  I waited a week, what's another few hours.  Afternoon came, and I thought to myself, if they don't call me back by 3pm I am calling again because these offices typically close early on Friday and then I won't hear from anyone until Monday, and that ain't gonna fly, as they say.  So 3pm rolls around and I call back. 

Me: Hi. I'm sorry to keep calling, I called earlier about my son's CT scan results and the computers were down. I was just checking to see if they were working again.
Receptionist (R): What's your son's name? :::I give the name::: Oh, yes, the system is working again.  Let me check and see if we got his images yet, can I put you on hold?
:::really lame and depressing hold music:::
OK, it doesn't look like they sent the images.  I'm going to have to request them, and it can take a few days for them to get them to us.  Can you call us back, oh, maybe next Wednesday to see if we have them?
Me:  Ummm, actually, this is the same speech I was given last Friday when I called and you guys told me you would request them and Monday and had me call back today if I hadn't heard back from you.  So, here I am.  Is there any way we can expedite this a bit?  We need to get the ball rolling on my son's hearing aids.  Can I call St. Joseph's or CHOC myself?
R:  Can I put you on hold one more time? 
::::more lame music::::
R:  OK, it looks like the images are here.  I'm going to put you on hold and then transfer you to the doctor so he can go over them with you.

Praise the Lord, it was a St. Patrick's Day miracle.  Or, doctors' offices would rather put you off a few more days than actually check and see if the images you are requesting are actually there.  I'll let you decide. ;)  Either way, we are still praising the Lord for the wonderful news that the CT scan showed, and we are even more hopeful that our little guy will be able to hear our voices!!  The next step will be an MRI (there's a WHOLE other long story that goes along with this one, I'll spare you today) so they can get images of the actual nerve.  I'm working on getting that scheduled as I type. :)