An Updose Day in Pictures

Wondering what an updose day is like for us?  Here's a little pictorial account of our updose last Thursday (5/21).

5:55am: Brendan needs to eat breakfast before his dose.
Our appointment is at 3:15pm, and he needs to take his dose at least 9 hours before his appointment.
Eat quickly, dude!!

6:05am:  We've found that taking apple sauce right before his dose helps prevent tummy aches.
I need to buy stock in Go-Go Squeez.

6:10am: Egg-i-cine down the hatch.  This is 15 milligrams of egg.
He will updose to 20 milligrams this afternoon.
He takes a sip of milk or water right after the egg to avoid an itchy mouth.

6:20am:  We are supposed to bring back the glass bottles that contain our solution each week.
Since I need to run it through the dishwasher, I empty it out right before our dose.
Instead of throwing the egg-i-cine away, I freeze the extra, just in case we don't make it to an updose for several weeks.
I also pack one dose full in a syringe to take with us-- just in case we don't make it to the doctor's office for some reason.

6:50am: Sunbutter and jelly sandwiches for everyone's lunch!  We'll eat our lunch on the road.

6:55am:  An unexpected bunny in our driveway!!
Not really updose related, but he was a highlight of our morning!

7:30am: Off to school!  Little brother will stay all day and Grandpa will get him off the bus.
 Memaw and I will pick up Brendan at 10:15am to start the trek to Dallas.
Memaw has made the trek with me for a couple of weeks.  She is the best mom/grandma EVER.
It makes it so much easier to have another driver and some company!

8:00am: I totally had my act together enough to take a walk in the neighborhood on this particular updose day.*
*Perhaps, I shouldn't call this post a "typical" updose day!!

8:09am:  I checked the traffic just for a later comparison.
We live where the blue dot is, at the bottom right hand corner, which is ENTIRELY the WRONG side of Houston to live on when one drives to Dallas every week.
It takes between an hour and an hour and a half to get to the top of the map, which are just the northern suburbs of Houston.  Those yellow and red lines aren't good!!  Luckily, by 10am, traffic should calm down.

9:45am: Time to pack!  On the right is Brendan's ice pack for his dose later, that dose I drew up "just in case," a couple of applesauce packets, and his cooler bag that will keep his solution cool when we drive home.
On the left are some snacks for the way there (and just before he updoses), his meds (he carries an Epipen on him at all times, and I keep the second Epi in my purse along with benadryl)-- these meds are his evening meds, plus his rescue inhaler, just in case.  He will take the evening meds on the drive back home.
In the Ziploc next to his meds are his jammies-- he'll change into those in the car on the way home.

9:50am: Still packing: Our lunches for the way there, tablets to pass the time, plus an external hard drive with a ton of movies on it, his pillow and blanket, and a suitcase with clothes for tomorrow and toothbrushes (just in case we end up staying the night somewhere between here and Dallas).
I keep the suitcase packed now, so all I have to do is drag it out every week.

10:12am: Quick traffic check!  It looks much better now.
I run into the school and retrieve Brendan.
I give him car sickness meds and make sure he goes to the bathroom right before we leave, because we won't stop for 2 hours!

12:15pm: Quick stop at Buc-ee's to use the restroom and grab a snack.
Aren't Memaw and Brendan cute?!
For those of you not from Texas, I am truly sorry that you don't have Buc-ee's.
It is simply the best place to pee, EVER!!  I present exhibits A and B below!  

Exhibit A: Those are all restroom stalls, and that's just HALF of the women's stalls!

Exhibit B: A CLEAN toilet!!  Thank God for Buc-ee's!!

12:30pm:  Switching drivers!  Memaw's behind the wheel now!  Like I said.  Best. Mom. EVER.

2:22pm;  We roll into Dallas almost an hour before our appointment.
That's a RECORD!  One week, we squeaked in without a minute to spare.
We take a few minutes to fill up the gas tank-- that will save us time on the way back.
Also, we notice something.  It's WINTER in Dallas.  Yes, you people from up North probably think I'm crazy, but it's the end of May here, we don't do "61" in May.  Period.  Especially not at 2pm.
We have been having some CRAZY weather, but I'm sure you've heard about that.  Brendan and I are freezing in our shorts and t-shirts!  Oh well.  Mental Note: Check the weather before we leave next week.

3:30pm:  Updose is in, and we are waiting our 45 minutes before we can head back home!

4:15pm: It's another RECORD!  We are leaving the doctor's office now.  No reaction from the updose.
We just might make it home before 9pm!! Hooray!!

6:30pm: Our only stop on the way back: KFC/restroom break.
This is Brendan's "I'm trying to watch a movie and smile at the same time" face!
I forgot to take our last victorious picture, because I was SO ready to be home, but we pulled in the driveway at 8:30pm.  That's another record!!  Another updose day in the books!!
Only about a year's worth of weekly drives to go. . .