Tuesday, October 27, 2009

844

844 is a significant number. If someone gave me $844, I would be pretty happy.

I try to stay away from the super-duper fudgy cream pie containing 844 calories.

An 844 mile road trip would take a while.

Because 844 is a hefty number, it's not a thousand, it's not a million but it's a lot.

On Monday, our super-smart mitochondrial doctor commented that Samantha had gone through a significant amount of tests, I asked him how many he considered significant.

"844." He replied.

"Samantha has had 844 medical tests?" I asked

"Yes, 844." He replied in his super-smart Belgian accent.

It's a lot of tests....especially for a three year....that's almost a test a day. I'm old and I don't think I've had 844 tests. 844 tests at my age would mean I would have to take 21 tests a year. Even during my school days, that's quite a lot of exams.

And I really wasn't a scholar.

Some of these have been repeated....often. Every UTI lab analysis is recorded, every metabolic panel, every blood draw...but still.

Heather, 844? Really? And they still aren't sure what's going on?

Well, we're narrowing some things down. When I think of genetic testing, I think of the game Clue.

Remember Clue? Colonel Mustard, in the library, with a pipe? One of my favorites; I was never very good however. I would lose track of who guessed what and I have a sneaking suspicion my brother would glance at my cards when I wasn't looking.

In the genetic, crazy DNA world, imagine Clue with 23,000 different characters, thousands of different rooms and just as many different outcomes.

That would be a really, really long Clue game; perhaps requiring 844 different guesses (847 now....we ordered a couple other tests)

We are lucky in the fact that we have really good detectives....crazy smart CSI, DNA type detectives. They can sniff out Colonel Mustard in the library....sniff 'em like a bloodhound...all 23,000 of them.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

I think with 847 tests, Sam should be given an honorary PhD (at the VERY LEAST)!

Unknown said...

Wow! That's a lot of peeks and pokes and prods on one sweet little girl!

Judith said...

Heather, your writing keeps getting better--what dramatic analogies! And I love the look with the wide scarves over your hair. I wonder if I could get away with it. Love,
Judith

HeatherS said...

Lori, I LOVE the idea of Dr. Samantha. She could pull it off.

Lowrie, waaaaay too many pokes :)

Judith, you could totally pull the wide scarf look off! It's like wearing a fancy ponytail. My favorite one was a gift from Jen and Ryan from Turkey....I feel somewhat exotic when I wear it :)

Maria Hopfgarten said...

Hi Heather,
Wow - 847 tests...I am thinking Samantha might have a competitor in Jacob here, but I never got the magic number when I was in the neuro-metabolic clinic. We're back in the PICU again - possibly H1N1 or just another virus.
Enjoy the snow!!! - Maria.

Trauma should be the hall pass to life's other issues. Someone should tell the hall monitor

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