I Would Walk Five Hundred Miles

I would walk 500 miles. And I would walk 500 more...

Or in this case drive.  That's 500 miles for a real second opinion.  And that's what I did. And drove home 500 more...

On Thursday January 23rd, we made an appointment in Kansas City to get a second opinion with their neurosurgeon.  (I had a lot to do to even get that appointment, which is a long aggravating story.  Apparently, you can't just get an appointment with a neurosurgeon, you have to be referred.  One would think that parents wouldn't just make up their son having a brain tumor and that if parent calls and says 'My kid has a brain tumor.  He needs to see the doc.' that the appointment scheduler people would go ahead and make the appointment without a big boatload of paperwork which apparently parents are incapable of filling out since it must come from another doctor.  The pediatric neurosurgery departments that I contacted in Nebraska and New Mexico also had the same policy.  But I guess I am digressing...)

Kansas City is just far enough to make an overnight stay necessary, especially with a little one.  I was in the mood to celebrate life.  My oldest turned five on January 22nd, and we celebrated his birthday in Kansas City.  Kevin's days off now are Wednesday and Thursday.  When he got home from work Tuesday, he helped me with some last minute packing.  We hit the road and drove 500 miles to Kansas City, arriving in the morning. Driving through the night works well for little ones since they sleep through it.

Vince made his own currency at the Federal Reserve Museum.
I think he's way cuter than Andrew Jackson, don't you?

In Kansas City, we visited the Federal Reserve Museum and the Nelson-Atkins Museum.  They were both free, but we did have to pay $5.00 for parking in the Nelson-Atkins Museum.  We packed our breakfast and lunch and ate them in Kansas City.  We had a blast at both of the museums.

We then drove to the hotel.  We went swimming there and the ate dinner and went to bed.  Kevin, the children and I were truly exhausted.  We slept in late and ate breakfast also in the hotel.  (We stayed at the Drury Inn because they feed us two meals for free.)

Children's Mercy Hospital was less than one mile from the hotel. I went the early to drop off the cd of images from Children's Hospital Colorado.  I needed to allow adequate time for the information to upload into Children's Mercy's system.  I went back to the hotel and we checked out and went to Children's Mercy as a family. 

We saw DrKansasCity.  He agreed with the Colorado doctors.  The tumor needs to come out.  There is no rush on the tumor itself since it is slow growing.  The reason for the rush is that the younger Vince is when they remove it, the easier time he'll have recovering.  DrKansasCity also does not think it's cancer.  I really like DrKansasCity.  I liked the way the staff treated us, even feeding my kids goldfish crackers to occupy them.  We are going with the Colorado team because it will be a lot easier on our family and also easier for the followup care. 

DrKansasCity does his planning MRIs a day or two before the surgery.  I will make the Colorado team do this a few days before the surgery as well.  They are not cutting my boy open until they get a second look.  There could have been a mix-up or something- you never know.  I know it's close to a zero percent chance of that, but I am his mama and they will not cut my son's head open unless they check one more time.

And I would walk 500 more...

if DrKansasCity would be the only one who would order the second MRI before the surgery.