X-Ray

I had my first X-ray when I got my retainer sometime in late elementary school. I remember sitting in a chair as a machine swung around my head taking a picture of my teeth. I wore a heavy lead vest to protect my internal organs, a vest that weighed more than my child did when she had her first X-ray.

The purpose of Buzzy's X-ray was to ensure good placement of the PICC line we consented to. This line went into her heart to deliver the medications she needed. It was a more permanent solution to the frequent IVs she had. After weighing the options, we decided to go with the PICC line to save Buzzy from having to be poked frequently. Ironically, it was only a few days after the PICC line was placed that she no longer needed the medications she received in those first couple of weeks. Thus, the PICC line was removed, and we only saved Buzzy from a couple of days of IV treatments.

In hindsight, I wish we had not consented to the PICC line so that Buzzy did not have to be exposed to the radiation of the X-ray. Yet, as I have heard it said, "Hindsight is 20/20." We could not have known that the PICC line would be removed only a few days after it was put in, and if we had it to do all over again, we would probably do no differently. Having one procedure done certainly sounds better than putting in a new IV each time it is needed, and with babies whose veins are minuscule, IVs have to be changed much more frequently than in an adult. Buzzy would have had to be stuck several times over those few days.

Parenting often involves choosing the lesser of two evils, and for us, the PICC line and accompanying X-ray seemed a good choice. It is not a choice every parent has to make, but I realize that in comparison to all that we will encounter as Buzzy's parents, having an X-ray will not be the most difficult.