Tiny but Mighty Em

Maybe Kaiser is really great about the "maybe" terminology. Yesterday, they had told us possibly some time this week he will have surgery. That's stressful in itself. Although the surgery is a  Laparoscopy one,  it's still surgery, recovery, and possible infection. Needless to say, the stress level is at a constant upward spike, and I am happy to share all the news via blog so that I don't have to repeat myself on the phone. Those that know me, KNOW I hate talking on the phone. When I talk about Em, I am basically on the breaking point of tears, and to talk on the phone right now would be a disaster.  Moving on...  Kaiser called last night and said "maybe" he will have surgery today. They wanted me to arrive before 9 to sign the consent form. When I arrived there was hustle and bustle. Em's room is VERY popular. He has a huge team here at Kaiser. I have said it before, and I'll say it again. I love the huge team of doctors and specialists working...

We have results! He does have a slow emptying stomach. It “drains” at a 38% rate. It’s considered moderate. In order to do this test, he had to fast, drink his formula, and a tracer. He was also moderately sedated while they watched the tracer.  What does that mean? He will go on an antibiotic to stimulate the stomach muscles to empty quicker; however, he is still not anywhere close to his calorie intake. My friends, he ate 22% of his needed calories yesterday... no wonder why my mommy gut kicked in, and that was WITH the nasal tube feedings.  Well, you guessed it. I also knew it. He will need a G-Tube for supplemental feedings. This is just to ensure he gets all the required feedings. Once he can take all feeds 100% by mouth, we won’t need the tube anymore. It’s up to him. This is great news. I know it’s scary, but he will finally eat. He has had this problem legit since birth.  When is the surgery? No clue.  How much longer in hospital? No clue.  How long is t...

We Wait... Over the weekend we were lucky enough to have one test complete. It was the Upper GI test. (They originally told me it was going to be the empty stomach one). It came back completely normal. I love and hate when these tests come back normal. I feel like it's an episode of House  because the docs are constantly searching for the reasons why he isn't eating.  So, what does it look like when Em eats? He can  eat. He will take about 2-3 oz of his bottle NO PROBLEM. He chugs it down, and then he starts playing with the bottle, or he pushes it away completely. Keep in mind that his bottle is fortified to 27 calories an oz. So, he is only getting 60-80 calories a bottle. He also LOVES his purees. In fact, if he sees the pouch at all, he won't even take eat the bottle. He just wants the pouch. Stinkin picky eater he is! The pureed pouches are only 60-90 calories as well. Again, not enough calories per meal. These are more like a good snack.  Well, he eats his pure...

So, today we have a gastric test to see how well his stomach empties. According to doc, “the test can show a negative result, but he could still have a slow emptying stomach.” So, you know what that means, nothing.  I’ve done a little research on this stomach issue, and it doesn’t seem fun. Awesome.  That is our only plan today, and there isn’t really a gi doc to go over results until Monday. That basically means- no news anytime soon.  Here we wait. He had his last bottle at 4 am 😳. He hates the new IV position which was in his foot now his hand (the diaper is supposed to distract him.) All he does is stare at it and cry. Poor guy.  Hopefully we can get some answers. This is miserable. Here’s a pic of the guy hating on the IV