I really really really wish we had named Chase "Joe". It would have made for a really great title.
Our week of GI appointments was entertaining, but led to very few conclusions:
The swallow study was cool. It was like seeing a moving xray. Chase drank/ate the barium concoction without any sort of hesitation. This, from the child who gags when I try to feed him sweet potatoes. Go figure. Maybe if I lace his veggies with barium, he'll eat them at home...? Think there would be any side effects?
Anyway. The swallow study showed that physiologically, everything is normal (whenever I say/type/think that word, I think twice now. Funny.). No aspiration or anything. The only thing is that he sucks 8-9 times before swallowing, but not every time, sometimes 3-4 times. She said it should be 2-3 times, then a swallow. I've been counting him while he nurses, though, and it's 2-3 times. So, since he rarely gets a bottle, I'm not going to worry about it.
We went to see the GI Guy today. He introduced himself as "Jim". Not Dr. So and So. Just Jim. I felt a little strange. He was really nice, but totally dumbed down everything that he told me. At what point do I chime in and tell him I took A&P in high school and college and could basically follow along if he just talked like a doctor instead of a preschool teacher, though? I didn't say anything. Just sat there and nodded, holding Chase on my lap and trying to prevent Ian from falling on his head as he monkey-climbed all over the chair and the exam table.
Jim told me that basically I had a laundry problem. Chase isn't losing weight or refusing to eat, so the reflux is just a normal-immature-GI-tract issue that should resolve itself as he eats more solids and grows.
So, for all of you who see me on a daily basis, I will be smelling like baby vomit for a while. Just a heads-up.
**Oh, and on a semi-related note, Chase ate a jar and a half of stage 2 food today, PLUS a handful of Cheerios! He can't quite get them in his own hands yet, but if I hold a Cheerio out for him, he'll almost immediately grab my hand and guide it to his mouth :) **
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- Laurie
- Wife to Bryan, Mom to Ian, Chase, Gavin, and Zeke. Down syndrome advocate. Literacy educator. Wine-drinking Christian. Keeper of chaos.
8 comments:
Okay, I realized in my last comment that I was a horrible speller so I am trying again. Here is what I originally wrote.
GI Chase is so awesome! Is "Jim" Dr. Sandberg? I totally know what you mean by dumbing things down if it is. Good job on the Cheerios Chasers!
There spelling fixed and I wanted to add that if Chase were an action hero, he would be awesome!! He could fight evil with his Infectious laugh and Electrifying smile! How cheesy am I?
I can't believe he is eating 2nd foods already! AND cheerios! That seems so far away for Logan right now. He is just now getting the hang of cereal. He is down to gagging only a couple of times during a feeding and that seems like success to me. I can't wait until Logan can pick up cheerios. Chase seems like he will be doing that any day now.
Way to go Chase!
Melanie- Chase still gags on rice cereal. I think it's a taste thing. We kind of skipped first foods because of the whole gagging issue. Our ped suggested the 2nd foods cereal mixes- I don't know if he likes the texture better, or the flavor, or if his little system just matured in a few weeks, but he likes them a LOT better and he doesn't really gag anymore.
Hey, that's good news! Not about you smelling like baby vomit, but the GI stuff.
When we first gave Evan mashed potatoes, he projectile vomited all over the place. Warning: never feed a baby something new when you're dining in a restaurant. Anyway, now he eats cheeseburgers (with only three teeth), so don't worry. Chase will get there!
Well, I'm glad everything is okay. Relatively, anyway, it sounds frustrating. Good luck with the laundry.
I hate when anyone talks down to me. I've gotten better at calling them on it. Or slipping in a comment or two that lets them know I'm kinda smart.
Someone told me having a kid with special needs or a chronic illness is "going to medical school the hard way". That's horrible, but I think there's some truth to it. You're the foremost expert on Chase. Good for you for getting this checked out, and don't let them get you down.
Well, what did you expect? He's a MERKEL! We will do anything to get food down!
My Dr. introduced himself as "Bob". Then when he called with blood results he did the same thing: "This is Bob Raspa, how are you?" it took me a sec to realize he was my doc. Yay for chase!
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