Finally, I have found some time to sit down and catch you all up. It's a very crazy, loud & chaotic life over here in our household, and it seems that every time I finally have a minute to sit down, not a moment later I usually hear, "Moooooooooommy??", echoing from another room in the house. This is understandable though, who wouldn't be this busy with 3 kids under the age of 2? I also know that this will not last forever, it is only but a short season in our lives, so for now I'll enjoy the ride & try to stay as sane as I possibly can be. In all seriousness though, as busy as it is right now, I wouldn't trade it for the world. Adam & I both feel incredibly blessed by having these little ones in our lives, and we also know that the Lord will never give us more then we can handle.
Speaking of which, just when I thought I really couldn't handle this anymore the Lord once again gave me strength to go on today. As we did devotions before heading to the hospital this morning I also felt like the Lord was trying to tell me something when I randomly opened my bible to a specific passage. Again I was reminded, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God....I can do all this through him who gives me strength." - Phil 4:6-7, 13. Such comforting words brought to us at just the right time!
Today was a long day, but Adam & I feel like we are finally getting somewhere. As Kathleen already mentioned we are scheduled to meet with Dr. Issenman (the GI specialist) next Wednesday morning to perform the scope. Logan will be put out under local anesthetic, and the scope will only take about 15-20 minutes to do. This will determine weather or not the thickening of the pyloris is the answer. If this is the problem, he will then be scheduled for surgery to correct it. If Dr. Issenman can not find the cause of what's ailing Logan through this scope, we will then start looking at other area's that are out of his field. If it is the pyloris then after the surgery Logan will remain on a feeding tube in hospital for 4-6 days and after that should be able to drink from a bottle with no problems! If it does not turn out to be the pyloris, then we know Logan will be on the feeding tube longer, which means they will still do a surgery to put a g-tube through his stomach rather then an ng tube through the nose. This will be more convenient for us, and much more comfortable for Logan. We will definitely be admitted as of next week to further look into what we can do to help Logan begin to gain weight properly again.
I know a bunch of people have been emailing me with questions so I will try to answer them as best as possible.
1. Why are they waiting a week to perform the scope?
Dr. Issenman tried to fit us in for this week yet but he was booked solid. The only way he could squeeze Logan in is if it was an emergency. As of right now Logan is stable, not lathargic and has not given us any signs as to why waiting a week would cause us to worry. His weight gain is also stable (not gaining, but also not losing) So we've agreed to wait until next Wed to do the scope.
2. Why not just pack up & go to Toronto Sick Kids NOW? (this is a popular question)
Trust us. We've thought about this many times. We agreed that if no one was willing to help us with Logan then our next option would be to go to Toronto. However, after speaking with Dr. Issenman at Mac today we have come to understand that he is on the same page as us. He does not believe it is urgent as of right now, but he definitely believes something more has to be done (sooner then later) and it is not just from the reflux, there's more to it. We also can not wait till our follow up appointment in the middle of Dec (which was the original plan). He is said to be one of the top doctors in the area so we are going to go with him for now, as he is the first one that has a game plan for us. Also if we go to Toronto we will have to start over with a whole bunch of new doctors from the beginning, and we may actually be set back further. If we wait till next week and keep our appointment with Dr. Issenman then we will finally be getting somewhere sooner.
3. What is his weight at now?
Logan was born at 9lbs 6oz. Since then he has fluxuated up & down and is currently at 10lbs 7oz. He has gained 1 whole pound since birth, which Dr. Issenman is not satisfied with. He says he should be gaining alot more then that, so this is also another reason that he is taking us seriously. He definitely believes we need to get Logan some help to grow healthy & strong.
4. Why have they not already looked into metabolics & genetics?
First of all Logan's newborn screening & bloodwork all came back negative for any problems. They have also done about 5 different runs of blood work and never seen anything questionable. He's been tested for thyroid, celiac, cystic fibrosis, and many, many other things I can't even pronounce! He is also not lathargic or showing any signs that make them think this is a necessity to check for at this point. We have been reassured that if the GI doctor can not figure this out next week then meeting with a neuroligist and checking for these things would be our next step.
I think I've covered everything so far. If any of you have any other questions please feel free to email or facebook message me (or even leave a comment on here). I promise I will read them, I may not get back to you very quickly, but I will try my best. Please just know that I LOVE reading your words of encouragement and just knowing that you are all praying for us is such a comfort! I also would like to take a moment to say THANK-YOU to my sister Kathleen for putting together this blog and for filling in with keeping up with posts when I am overwhelmed or not able to. I don't think I can write as good as her, but I'll definitely try! ;)
Well the house is finally quiet and everyone is in bed so I should head there too and get some much needed rest. Morning comes way to quickly these days! :) Thank-you for the continued support, love & prayers...
Much love, Jenn, Adam & the kiddo's. xo
Another question? :) Was he formula fed when this all started to happen? If yes - is he allergic? Just a thought...
ReplyDeleteNo problem, its good to ask questions and I don't mind to answer them if I can! We've tried about a dozen different formula's (no joke!) and they've ruled out a milk allergy. He was actually on breastmilk at the beginnging, as well as formula and he vomitted anything and everything up. We are on Nutrimigen right now, and being switched to the last resort today called Neocate. These are VERY expensive and are only given out by prescription. It's worth a shot, but he seems to still puke that up too which is why they aren't leaning towards a milk allergy.
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