The Meds Begin

For months and months, as we visit each of a million new doctors, we have been asked, "What meds does Connor take for SMA?" My answer was always, "Nothing." We've never been given anything and we've never been told to take anything. But each time I was asked that, something (very paranoid) inside me was yelling, "SHOULD I BE?? WHAT DO YOU KNOW THAT I DON'T? ARE OTHER SMA KIDS TAKING SOMETHING? IS THERE SOMETHING OUT THERE THAT CAN HELP HIM THAT HE'S NOT TAKING??"

And the truth is, there is nothing. Nothing that cures this or can take it away from us. Nothing to make the progression stop. Yes, there are some things that some families feel makes it slow down in their kids, but most have yucky side effects that could make some kids worse. That just seems so backwards to the way things should be. There is always something you can do...if you get an infection, you take an antibiotic...if you have a sore throat, you can use that yucky spray...if you get really sick, you go into the hospital and get some major drugs, are maybe hooked up to a machine or two for a few days, and then you start to get better. But my child has this horrible illness that took away his walking and makes him fall all the time with the simplest tasks, and makes me scared to death of the common cold, and will only get worse...and yup, we're taking nothing.

But today, we have something! This morning Connor took his first dose of Carnitor. It is supposed to help him use energy more efficiently. (And judging by the look on his face that is some pretty nasty stuff. I think we'll hide it in some juice tonight.) In four weeks we start the Co Q-10, an over-the-counter supplement that helps the mitochondria in his cells with protein coding blah blah blah biology I don't remember from college.

So, since our life has now become backward, I guess I get a free pass...a free pass to be excited about taking some meds that in the back of my mind I know really aren't doing much...but hooray for SOMETHING!