I took Lu in to see Dr B, our pediatrician, today. Shes a great doctor because not only does she seem to know everything and always turn out right, but she has a way of easing your mind when you come in worried.
She gave Lu the once over and ruled out a viral issue as the cause of her diarrhea. She sat down and we discussed where to go from here. Dr B was quite honest and said that in her mind the next step is to get Lucy a G-tube. If Lucy has a G-tube we can run feedings at night at a slow rate so that she can even "eat" while she sleeps. If we have to work within the limit of no more than 4 ounces every two hours Lucy will have to eat when she is sleeping in order to sustain growth. A G-tube makes this possible.
However, its not like you just stop off at the hospital and have them insert a port into your child's stomach. First, we need to find ourselves a new GI specialist and then go from there. Fortunately I have gotten a number of recommendations from people for a Dr G down in the city. I called this afternoon and got the earliest appointment which is for Oct 9th. So until then we wait, and we hope in the meantime that Lucy will continue to tolerate at least 4 ounces every 2 hours.
I'd like to say this hadn't really knocked me down a bit, but it did. I had gotten comfortable with the idea Lucy wouldn't have food and as long as she could be happy and healthy without it I can be happy- but it doesn't seem as if that is even an option at the moment. Shes formula-only mere months from her third birthday, things look bleak, and now she is still sick. Its a hard pill to swallow. I am adjusting to this "failure" but it still hurts.
We've been blessed enough to have quite a few family and friends offering distraction and support over the last day or two, which has been great and we can't thank them enough. So for now, I will hunker down and settle into this new "norm" while we anxiously await answers or solutions.
She gave Lu the once over and ruled out a viral issue as the cause of her diarrhea. She sat down and we discussed where to go from here. Dr B was quite honest and said that in her mind the next step is to get Lucy a G-tube. If Lucy has a G-tube we can run feedings at night at a slow rate so that she can even "eat" while she sleeps. If we have to work within the limit of no more than 4 ounces every two hours Lucy will have to eat when she is sleeping in order to sustain growth. A G-tube makes this possible.
However, its not like you just stop off at the hospital and have them insert a port into your child's stomach. First, we need to find ourselves a new GI specialist and then go from there. Fortunately I have gotten a number of recommendations from people for a Dr G down in the city. I called this afternoon and got the earliest appointment which is for Oct 9th. So until then we wait, and we hope in the meantime that Lucy will continue to tolerate at least 4 ounces every 2 hours.
I'd like to say this hadn't really knocked me down a bit, but it did. I had gotten comfortable with the idea Lucy wouldn't have food and as long as she could be happy and healthy without it I can be happy- but it doesn't seem as if that is even an option at the moment. Shes formula-only mere months from her third birthday, things look bleak, and now she is still sick. Its a hard pill to swallow. I am adjusting to this "failure" but it still hurts.
We've been blessed enough to have quite a few family and friends offering distraction and support over the last day or two, which has been great and we can't thank them enough. So for now, I will hunker down and settle into this new "norm" while we anxiously await answers or solutions.
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