Lots of news about Caleb. He had his GI scope last week. They call it "surgery" because they have to put him under, but it really wasn't like any surgeries we've had. Since he didn't have anything cut/removed/sewn up/etc. there wasn't really any pain involved afterward and he came out of the anesthesia amazingly well. He was awake and pretty happy when I got back to see him. No crying, screaming, throwing up, asthma or sensitive airways to deal with like we have during other post-surgeries recoveries. Before they took him back, I got his gown on him and then tried to put the slippers on him. He freaked out when I tried to take off his Lightning McQueen shoes. The nurse said it was fine and not worth making him upset and that they'd just take them off him after he was asleep. When they told me to bring a comfort item (and I did - I brought him a blanket), I had no idea his shoes would be that item! The nurse told me that the minute he woke up, he started talking and talking. That's typical Caleb - he never stops talking. She said he was barely awake and kept asking for his Lightning McQueen shoes. He was wearing them by the time I got back to the recovery room. And he was happy as can be once he had them on. Silly, Lightning McQueen-obsessed boy!
So anyway, we got all his results back. Everything looks good as far as structure is concerned. There are no deformities in his upper GI tract. Also, there's no significant damage from reflux like ulcers and such. They took some cells from the lining of his esophagus and stomach and then biopsied them. Those results came back yesterday and showed that they are indeed inflamed... which means that he definitely has reflux and that it's still present, even though most kids outgrow it by his age. So we go to see the GI doctor in a few weeks. And the best news is that his test for eosinophilic esophagitis is negative! Yay! So that's good since that sounds like a miserable condition and would require and even more specialized diet than he already has. I'm so happy about that. I'm also happy that all the trouble he's been having is not in my head and is not a behavioral thing. Although if it were behavioral, then we'd deal with that too. But his sleep troubles, his swallowing troubles, his ear infections, and frequent throwing up are all caused by reflux for sure. I was worried I was giving him medicine for nothing, but now I know he indeed has pretty bad reflux and that he does need his medicine. So I'm glad that mystery is over and we'll know how to treat it now. He's taking Prevacid twice a day which is the max dose for his age. They might add another medicine when we talk to the doctor. But Prevacid seems to be helping and it helps a TON more than Zantac ever did.
And another update on Caleb. He "graduated" from OT yesterday. They asked me if I thought he needed continued therapy and we all decided that he's made GREAT progress in the last few months. Plus I feel like I've learned a lot and have a lot of "tools" to work with. If we get to a point that I feel like he needs more help, then we'll go back. But for now, he's done!!! One less regularly-occurring doctor appointment for us!!! He has really made HUGE progress with his eating lately. I would have never thought that it would be so much work to get a kid to eat. He now eats more than just gold fish crackers and mashed potatoes. And he has added a lot of foods to the list of foods he'll eat in the last week or two. He still has texture/sensory issues, but we'll just keep working with him and he should be fine. We've already been down that road with Michael and Katie so this time I'm armed with information to help him.
So that's the update on Mr. Caleb. And just for fun, a picture of Caleb and Elizabeth.
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