Last night was our church's annual childrens' choir musical. They did the story of Zaccheus. Somewhere in the middle of the show, they sang the traditional "Zaccheus was a wee little man" and had everyone in the audience sing too. As soon as everything was silent again, Gresham said loudly, "That was a weird song!"
Keeps us humble, that boy does...
Monday, April 26, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Owen's EGD
Owen had an EGD (scope of his esophagus and stomach) done on Monday morning, as well as a 24 hour pH study. This was to check for damage due to reflux or allergies. The pH study was to measure the pH of his esophagus over a 24 hour period, which would show us how much he is refluxing. Well, that was the intent anyway...
Isn't he cute in his hospital gown? Waiting to be taken back for the procedure was the hardest part. No, actually, the pH test was the hardest part. I'll get to that in a minute... At the hospital, waiting for the procedure to start was the hardest part. Sitting calmly on the bed lasted for about 2.5 seconds.
Oh, this is fun to climb on! Why did the nurses put a "fall risk" bracelet on me, Daddy?
Dad, I'm tired of sitting.
I will wrestle my way out of your lap...
Here is how he looked after the ride home! The pH study involved having a tube down his nose into his esophagus. The tube was connected to a sensor box that we had to carry around with him all day. The white arm band is to keep him from pulling out the tube. Owen couldn't crawl or play or do anything except whine with the arm bands on, so we took the left one off for a while. He left his nose totally alone, so we thought he had forgotten about it. Well, he quickly pulled out the tube while I was changing his diaper. I was not watching his hand closely enough...
We went back to the hospital (20 min. drive) to have it re-inserted, which was not fun for Owen. Then they had to do an x-ray to make sure it was in the right place. After we had been home again for a while, I noticed that the pH reading was staying down too low. We called the GI doctor and confirmed with him that something was not right. So, Jordan loaded up Owen in the van and headed back to the hospital. They gave him a new tube and a new sensor box. The nurse wanted to extend the test because of our gap in data with the sensor malfunctioning. Jordan and I were quite frustrated at this point, but thought we better keep going... The new sensor was put in at 7:00 p.m., and this lasted until 4:00 a.m. when Owen somehow coughed out the tube while in bed (he was sleeping with both arm bands on!) so we had to declare the test done and pull out the tube.
Tomorrow we will find out if they got enough usable data... they may want us to re-do the test. At this point, that is not an option that we really want to think about!
To be continued...
Isn't he cute in his hospital gown? Waiting to be taken back for the procedure was the hardest part. No, actually, the pH test was the hardest part. I'll get to that in a minute... At the hospital, waiting for the procedure to start was the hardest part. Sitting calmly on the bed lasted for about 2.5 seconds.
Oh, this is fun to climb on! Why did the nurses put a "fall risk" bracelet on me, Daddy?
Dad, I'm tired of sitting.
I will wrestle my way out of your lap...
Here is how he looked after the ride home! The pH study involved having a tube down his nose into his esophagus. The tube was connected to a sensor box that we had to carry around with him all day. The white arm band is to keep him from pulling out the tube. Owen couldn't crawl or play or do anything except whine with the arm bands on, so we took the left one off for a while. He left his nose totally alone, so we thought he had forgotten about it. Well, he quickly pulled out the tube while I was changing his diaper. I was not watching his hand closely enough...We went back to the hospital (20 min. drive) to have it re-inserted, which was not fun for Owen. Then they had to do an x-ray to make sure it was in the right place. After we had been home again for a while, I noticed that the pH reading was staying down too low. We called the GI doctor and confirmed with him that something was not right. So, Jordan loaded up Owen in the van and headed back to the hospital. They gave him a new tube and a new sensor box. The nurse wanted to extend the test because of our gap in data with the sensor malfunctioning. Jordan and I were quite frustrated at this point, but thought we better keep going... The new sensor was put in at 7:00 p.m., and this lasted until 4:00 a.m. when Owen somehow coughed out the tube while in bed (he was sleeping with both arm bands on!) so we had to declare the test done and pull out the tube.
Tomorrow we will find out if they got enough usable data... they may want us to re-do the test. At this point, that is not an option that we really want to think about!
To be continued...
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
An Ode to Amoxicillin
Upon arriving home from school today,
I found my son in deep dismay.
His ear was hurting bad, it seemed,
And he hadn't ceased to scream (And scream and scream. For 45 minutes.)
Grandma had tried the usual tricks,
But none seemed to provide a fix.
I offered a drink in the favorite blue cup,
When he refused that, our options were up...
The clock was reading 10 til 4...
Our doctor soon would shut his door...
I grabbed the phone hoping to implore
the kind nurse to please accept one more!
She said come quick and get down there,
so we grabbed our blankies and honey bears!
Gresham wailed the entire ride
I hoped that when we got there it would subside...
Unfortunately (for all the other people in the waiting room)
he was still going strong.
At least our wait did not take long!
Gresham ear was very bad,
But sweet relief was to be had!
Amoxicillin saved the day!
And hail to our new reasonable prescription co-pay!
Owen got a prescription too,
Although his ear did not have as much goo...
Thanks to the doctor for checking him out,
so we don't have to go back tomorrow
(I'm out of rhymes, it's been a long day, and we were up until midnight with Owen last night!)
I found my son in deep dismay.
His ear was hurting bad, it seemed,
And he hadn't ceased to scream (And scream and scream. For 45 minutes.)
Grandma had tried the usual tricks,
But none seemed to provide a fix.
I offered a drink in the favorite blue cup,
When he refused that, our options were up...
The clock was reading 10 til 4...
Our doctor soon would shut his door...
I grabbed the phone hoping to implore
the kind nurse to please accept one more!
She said come quick and get down there,
so we grabbed our blankies and honey bears!
Gresham wailed the entire ride
I hoped that when we got there it would subside...
Unfortunately (for all the other people in the waiting room)
he was still going strong.
At least our wait did not take long!
Gresham ear was very bad,
But sweet relief was to be had!
Amoxicillin saved the day!
And hail to our new reasonable prescription co-pay!
Owen got a prescription too,
Although his ear did not have as much goo...
Thanks to the doctor for checking him out,
so we don't have to go back tomorrow
(I'm out of rhymes, it's been a long day, and we were up until midnight with Owen last night!)
Spring into Nash Farm!
On Saturday, we went to one of our favorite spring activities... Spring into Nash Farm! Nash Farm is an historic farm. Every spring and fall they have a day of free family activities, and the kids love it. I actually have lots of good pictures this time, thanks to my dad taking most of them!
Aidan got to make his own rope with this neat machine.
Cutting the finished rope.
Now he's all ready to tie up some bad guys! Seriously, I never knew a rope could be so fun. Aidan hardly put it down the rest of the day. While we were at Nash Farm, he rode a pony with his rope in one hand and the reigns in the other hand. He said he felt like a real cowboy. Then at home, he used it to climb his bunk beds (we nixed that idea real fast) and lift things up to his playset in the backyard. At one point, Gresham was calling from their bedroom, and Aidan said, "I better get my rope! This sounds like an emergency!"
Here is Gresham milking a goat. He quickly decided that it was too hard and not worth the effort. At least he had the experience!
This is what Owen did all morning! Rode in his stroller and chewed his jacket. But, he also drank 6 oz. out of his bottle in less than 20 minutes, which is probably a record for eating while being out. Usually he is so distracted and won't eat. He'd rather do almost anything than eat, so it doesn't take much to distract him. This is getting better, though!
Aidan looks so grown up in this picture. I think it's the watch. It's hard to believe he'll be 7 this summer! He is really changing from a little kid to a big kid. He was not interested in the hay ride this time or petting the animals... our boy is growing up too fast!
Gresham, on the other hand, is happy to be 3! And I'm glad for that.
Aidan got to make his own rope with this neat machine.
Cutting the finished rope.
Now he's all ready to tie up some bad guys! Seriously, I never knew a rope could be so fun. Aidan hardly put it down the rest of the day. While we were at Nash Farm, he rode a pony with his rope in one hand and the reigns in the other hand. He said he felt like a real cowboy. Then at home, he used it to climb his bunk beds (we nixed that idea real fast) and lift things up to his playset in the backyard. At one point, Gresham was calling from their bedroom, and Aidan said, "I better get my rope! This sounds like an emergency!"
Here is Gresham milking a goat. He quickly decided that it was too hard and not worth the effort. At least he had the experience!
This is what Owen did all morning! Rode in his stroller and chewed his jacket. But, he also drank 6 oz. out of his bottle in less than 20 minutes, which is probably a record for eating while being out. Usually he is so distracted and won't eat. He'd rather do almost anything than eat, so it doesn't take much to distract him. This is getting better, though!
Aidan looks so grown up in this picture. I think it's the watch. It's hard to believe he'll be 7 this summer! He is really changing from a little kid to a big kid. He was not interested in the hay ride this time or petting the animals... our boy is growing up too fast!
Gresham, on the other hand, is happy to be 3! And I'm glad for that.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Owen's GI Visit
Yesterday was a long and eventful day!
Our friend Mrs. Snider came to help us with our doctor/zoo trip, so the boys were very excited. We loaded up and left the house bright and early to drive down to Cook Children's Hospital in Fort Worth.
Owen's GI doctor seemed very helpful and nice. He thinks that because Owen responded well to the new formula (Alimentum), that that strongly suggests that he has a dairy allergy. I'm still not clear on that point because he doesn't seem to have the usual dairy allergy symptoms. I was expecting the doctor to differentiate between an allergy and an intolerance, but he just talked about allergies. We will be clearing that issue up, though, because Owen had a blood test yesterday that tests for all food allergies. Anyway, Owen still seems to have reflux symptoms even though he has improved on the new formula. He still does a lot of "wet" sounding burps and wakes up from his naps screaming, sometimes up to 3 times per week. So... the doctor also wants to to an EGD (Esophagogastroduodenoscopy) where he (our actual doctor - not a tech!) will look at Owens esophagus for signs of reflux or allergy. He'll actually be able to tell if his esophagus shows damage from either thing and which it is. Also, he'll biopsy Owen's small intestine to test for Celiac Disease. Then, while they're in there, Owen will get a pH probe inserted down his nose. It's a little wire that will stay at the base of his esophagus for 24 hours to measure how much he is actually refluxing and how acidic it is. This will all happen under general anesthesia on April 19th. Whew! We're not looking forward to sedating our little baby, but we're glad that we can (Lord willing) get some concrete data and know whether to treat him with changes in diet or changes in medicine. The doctor didn't want to just randomly try things without having some data first, and I must say I agreed with that!
We needed to go to the Lab in the hospital's specialty building for the blood test, so we went ahead and went over there since it was just a couple buildings away. The parking garage was packed, and we took the first spot we could find on the top level. When we walked in the building entrance, we were right in the waiting area for the lab! I was very thankful that God provided us with a parking space right there, especially since we had to go back to the van a couple times for formula and blankies.
By the time we finished at the zoo, we were all exhausted! I didn't get any good zoo pictures to post. Next time we'll go to the zoo when we can start earlier in the day and have more energy, but at least we were able to see a lot of animals, and the boys had a lot of fun.
So, all in all, I think we're on the right track with Owen. He is eating better and gaining weight better now. We would appreciate prayer for his procedure on April 19th!
Our friend Mrs. Snider came to help us with our doctor/zoo trip, so the boys were very excited. We loaded up and left the house bright and early to drive down to Cook Children's Hospital in Fort Worth.
Owen's GI doctor seemed very helpful and nice. He thinks that because Owen responded well to the new formula (Alimentum), that that strongly suggests that he has a dairy allergy. I'm still not clear on that point because he doesn't seem to have the usual dairy allergy symptoms. I was expecting the doctor to differentiate between an allergy and an intolerance, but he just talked about allergies. We will be clearing that issue up, though, because Owen had a blood test yesterday that tests for all food allergies. Anyway, Owen still seems to have reflux symptoms even though he has improved on the new formula. He still does a lot of "wet" sounding burps and wakes up from his naps screaming, sometimes up to 3 times per week. So... the doctor also wants to to an EGD (Esophagogastroduodenoscopy) where he (our actual doctor - not a tech!) will look at Owens esophagus for signs of reflux or allergy. He'll actually be able to tell if his esophagus shows damage from either thing and which it is. Also, he'll biopsy Owen's small intestine to test for Celiac Disease. Then, while they're in there, Owen will get a pH probe inserted down his nose. It's a little wire that will stay at the base of his esophagus for 24 hours to measure how much he is actually refluxing and how acidic it is. This will all happen under general anesthesia on April 19th. Whew! We're not looking forward to sedating our little baby, but we're glad that we can (Lord willing) get some concrete data and know whether to treat him with changes in diet or changes in medicine. The doctor didn't want to just randomly try things without having some data first, and I must say I agreed with that!
We needed to go to the Lab in the hospital's specialty building for the blood test, so we went ahead and went over there since it was just a couple buildings away. The parking garage was packed, and we took the first spot we could find on the top level. When we walked in the building entrance, we were right in the waiting area for the lab! I was very thankful that God provided us with a parking space right there, especially since we had to go back to the van a couple times for formula and blankies.
By the time we finished at the zoo, we were all exhausted! I didn't get any good zoo pictures to post. Next time we'll go to the zoo when we can start earlier in the day and have more energy, but at least we were able to see a lot of animals, and the boys had a lot of fun.
So, all in all, I think we're on the right track with Owen. He is eating better and gaining weight better now. We would appreciate prayer for his procedure on April 19th!
Monday, March 29, 2010
Owen Speaks and an Update
Owen is 10 months already! It's hard to believe!
We have seen some improvement recently with his reflux. Who knew when all this started that we would still be dealing with this all these months later!
I'm not sure if I've ever put the complete story on here, so if not, here's a synopsis... Owen started acting funny with feedings at about 6 weeks. He would nurse a little, then start arching his back and crying. He was only happy if I would stop feeding him. It seemed strange, and as it turns out, there really was a problem. He has what is called "silent reflux." This means that he doesn't spit up (much) but he has frequent heartburn symptoms. We have him on medication, which helps, but doesn't completely take the reflux away.
At his worst, Owen has had to be fed mainly while sleeping. We would have to get him to sleep for his naps/bedtime first, and then get him up and feed him. This is apparently not unheard of in babies who have the type of reflux that he does. Their bodies know they need the food, but they have to be sleepy to overcome the pain and actually eat. This stage was not enjoyable for anyone, but you do what you have to do to keep your child alive!
Owen was sick off and on from mid-February to mid-March and fought us on almost every bottle during this time. We have been working with a wonderful feeding specialist that we found through a friend at church, and she suggested seeing a dietician to evaluate Owen's weight and calorie intake. This sounded like a good idea. We had two options: seeing the dietician that our feeding specialist works with (who is very good) through her private practice, or going through Early Childhood Intervention (called ECI - it's a government program) and taking whoever they sent out. While on the phone with the feeding specialist about this, I was texting another friend who works with ECI as an occupational therapist. She had told me about a dietician that she worked with who was really good. Well, the two recommended dieticians were actually the same person! This was great confirmation that the Lord was working things out on our behalf to get us in touch with someone good to help Owen. We decided to set up a visit through her private practice because we would not be able to see her through ECI, and at this point, we'd rather pay to get good advice than risk getting someone who is not so good. Feeding issues are a big deal.
The dietician came to our house in mid-March. She was sooooo helpful. She weighed and measured Owen and found him to be in the 1st percentile for weight (not good), 3rd percentile for head size, and 8th percentile for height. This showed that he is not getting enough calories. She thought that his reflux was not under good control, though, and that there was not much we could do until he was more willing to eat. She suggested trying a new formula to see if he was intolerant of dairy. I was skeptical, as I had tried cutting out dairy while nursing, and it didn't seem to help. (I didn't cut it out completely, though. I mean, who can live without pizza?) She said that we would know in 3 bottles if it was going to work, so we decided to give it a try.
The verdict is... the new formula works! Owen is eating much better. It's so wonderful to not be struggling with him over the bottle, and he is eating solid food better too. The formula is smelly and expensive, but it is worth it! Owen has never had much of an appetite, but he is showing more signs of hunger since being on the new formula. Today, lunch was 30 min. late, and he whined until he was fed! I never thought I would be so happy to see a child whining for food!
On Thursday, I am taking him to a pediatric gastroenterologist just to make sure that we are not overlooking anything else. The dietician suggested this. So stay tuned for another update!
Here is a video of Owen and his new favorite word... "bap." He said it all day long today. I don't think it means anything, but it's pretty funny to hear him say it!
We have seen some improvement recently with his reflux. Who knew when all this started that we would still be dealing with this all these months later!
I'm not sure if I've ever put the complete story on here, so if not, here's a synopsis... Owen started acting funny with feedings at about 6 weeks. He would nurse a little, then start arching his back and crying. He was only happy if I would stop feeding him. It seemed strange, and as it turns out, there really was a problem. He has what is called "silent reflux." This means that he doesn't spit up (much) but he has frequent heartburn symptoms. We have him on medication, which helps, but doesn't completely take the reflux away.
At his worst, Owen has had to be fed mainly while sleeping. We would have to get him to sleep for his naps/bedtime first, and then get him up and feed him. This is apparently not unheard of in babies who have the type of reflux that he does. Their bodies know they need the food, but they have to be sleepy to overcome the pain and actually eat. This stage was not enjoyable for anyone, but you do what you have to do to keep your child alive!
Owen was sick off and on from mid-February to mid-March and fought us on almost every bottle during this time. We have been working with a wonderful feeding specialist that we found through a friend at church, and she suggested seeing a dietician to evaluate Owen's weight and calorie intake. This sounded like a good idea. We had two options: seeing the dietician that our feeding specialist works with (who is very good) through her private practice, or going through Early Childhood Intervention (called ECI - it's a government program) and taking whoever they sent out. While on the phone with the feeding specialist about this, I was texting another friend who works with ECI as an occupational therapist. She had told me about a dietician that she worked with who was really good. Well, the two recommended dieticians were actually the same person! This was great confirmation that the Lord was working things out on our behalf to get us in touch with someone good to help Owen. We decided to set up a visit through her private practice because we would not be able to see her through ECI, and at this point, we'd rather pay to get good advice than risk getting someone who is not so good. Feeding issues are a big deal.
The dietician came to our house in mid-March. She was sooooo helpful. She weighed and measured Owen and found him to be in the 1st percentile for weight (not good), 3rd percentile for head size, and 8th percentile for height. This showed that he is not getting enough calories. She thought that his reflux was not under good control, though, and that there was not much we could do until he was more willing to eat. She suggested trying a new formula to see if he was intolerant of dairy. I was skeptical, as I had tried cutting out dairy while nursing, and it didn't seem to help. (I didn't cut it out completely, though. I mean, who can live without pizza?) She said that we would know in 3 bottles if it was going to work, so we decided to give it a try.
The verdict is... the new formula works! Owen is eating much better. It's so wonderful to not be struggling with him over the bottle, and he is eating solid food better too. The formula is smelly and expensive, but it is worth it! Owen has never had much of an appetite, but he is showing more signs of hunger since being on the new formula. Today, lunch was 30 min. late, and he whined until he was fed! I never thought I would be so happy to see a child whining for food!
On Thursday, I am taking him to a pediatric gastroenterologist just to make sure that we are not overlooking anything else. The dietician suggested this. So stay tuned for another update!
Here is a video of Owen and his new favorite word... "bap." He said it all day long today. I don't think it means anything, but it's pretty funny to hear him say it!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
The Discussions We Have
Our real-life lesson for the day...
Aidan: That was cool seeing that blimp yesterday. Do you think there is a battlefield near here? Next door neighbor boy said that blimps are usually in battles.
Mom: Uh, the blimp said "MetLife" on it, so I don't think it was for a battle... That's the name of an insurance company.
Aidan: Oh. (disappointed) Well, maybe there is a battlefield near here somewhere.
Mom: Wars don't just happen on "battlefields" that are set aside for that. Modern wars happen wherever.
Aidan: Oh. Huh. Do they just find a big field somewhere?
Mom: Not exactly. Sometimes people attack cities.
Aidan: Oh. Wow.
Aidan: That was cool seeing that blimp yesterday. Do you think there is a battlefield near here? Next door neighbor boy said that blimps are usually in battles.
Mom: Uh, the blimp said "MetLife" on it, so I don't think it was for a battle... That's the name of an insurance company.
Aidan: Oh. (disappointed) Well, maybe there is a battlefield near here somewhere.
Mom: Wars don't just happen on "battlefields" that are set aside for that. Modern wars happen wherever.
Aidan: Oh. Huh. Do they just find a big field somewhere?
Mom: Not exactly. Sometimes people attack cities.
Aidan: Oh. Wow.
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