So I have been really terrible at keeping you all updated about Cal's health status so be prepared for a long post. This one starts back on December 6th. Chris and I took Calleigh into see her GI doctor, Dr. Easley. Every time we meet with him we fear for the worst and that is little to no weight gain. Prior to this appointment, Calleigh was weighed (about 5 weeks prior and naked nudeey) and she weighed 10 lbs 15 oz. When Cal was weighed at this appointment she was 11 lbs 2 oz (with a diaper which weighs about 2 oz) and 24 inches long. She had grown about 1/4 of an inch but there was no real weight gain. Dr. Easley explained to us that it was really time to consider the feeding tube. Reluctant to give into the idea of a feeding tube, Dr. Easley explained how a feeding tube is not a bad thing. It does not mean that we have failed (which is exactly how I felt), and it certainly does not mean we have to stop giving her bottles and solid foods. He made us an appointment for December 21st to come back and have an endoscopy and a pH test. An endoscopy is a little camera that goes down the throat to look at the esophagus and stomach and a pH test measures acidity levels through a small tube placed inside the nose and must be left in for 24 hours. He gave us two weeks to pack the pounds on our little girl and Chris and I were determined to do so! Now fast forward to this past Wednesday, December 21st...
We met with Dr. Easley again this past Wednesday for the scope and pH test. Chris and I were so anxious to see how much weight Cal had gained in two weeks, we were hoping for a pound so this whole feeding tube idea would go away. Cal weighed in at 11 lbs 5 oz (with a diaper so really 11 lbs 3 oz) which was fabulous but not enough, so it was on with the procedures. Calleigh had to be sedated for this procedure and honestly the IV was the worst part of the whole day! Two different nurse tried to get the IV into her arm (twice) and then end to her foot. All three attempts failed and the IV ended up in her head! She was mad, but she is such a great baby! The whole procedure lasted about 15 minutes (it took one hour to get the IV in... so needless to say we were thankful the procedure was so quick!) and Dr. Easley showed us pictures of our little girl's perfect belly! Everything looked great, the pH tube was in place so once she woke up from her sedation we were free to go home. We went back on the 22nd to have the pH tube removed and later that day we got the results back and she had no signs of acid reflux which was great news! Today I heard from her doctor at Fort Hood and he has put in the referral for the Pediatric Surgeon at Scott and White to perform Calleighs feeding tube surgery which should occur very early next month.
The "button" as the docs call the feeding tube will be surgically placed into her stomach and at night we will hook up an IV line of formula to supplement what calories she is losing throughout the day by not eating, crying, "moving and shaking" etc. So as you can see, this is not a battle lost, it is a battle won and soon we should have a little bit of a chunkier baby!!!! Below are a few pictures of Cal with her IV, sleeping after the procedure with her new friend and sharing some birthday cake with daddy...you can see the tube in her nose! Thanks for reading about our little girl and I will be sure to keep you posted!!!
We met with Dr. Easley again this past Wednesday for the scope and pH test. Chris and I were so anxious to see how much weight Cal had gained in two weeks, we were hoping for a pound so this whole feeding tube idea would go away. Cal weighed in at 11 lbs 5 oz (with a diaper so really 11 lbs 3 oz) which was fabulous but not enough, so it was on with the procedures. Calleigh had to be sedated for this procedure and honestly the IV was the worst part of the whole day! Two different nurse tried to get the IV into her arm (twice) and then end to her foot. All three attempts failed and the IV ended up in her head! She was mad, but she is such a great baby! The whole procedure lasted about 15 minutes (it took one hour to get the IV in... so needless to say we were thankful the procedure was so quick!) and Dr. Easley showed us pictures of our little girl's perfect belly! Everything looked great, the pH tube was in place so once she woke up from her sedation we were free to go home. We went back on the 22nd to have the pH tube removed and later that day we got the results back and she had no signs of acid reflux which was great news! Today I heard from her doctor at Fort Hood and he has put in the referral for the Pediatric Surgeon at Scott and White to perform Calleighs feeding tube surgery which should occur very early next month.
The "button" as the docs call the feeding tube will be surgically placed into her stomach and at night we will hook up an IV line of formula to supplement what calories she is losing throughout the day by not eating, crying, "moving and shaking" etc. So as you can see, this is not a battle lost, it is a battle won and soon we should have a little bit of a chunkier baby!!!! Below are a few pictures of Cal with her IV, sleeping after the procedure with her new friend and sharing some birthday cake with daddy...you can see the tube in her nose! Thanks for reading about our little girl and I will be sure to keep you posted!!!
1 comment:
This is definatly not a lost battle, it will only bring you forward another step!
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