Swallow Study!

Zadie had her long awaited swallow study today.  The last time she was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia, her pulmonologist suggested that perhaps she was aspirating and therefore should not eat by mouth until she was able to get a swallow study.  That is where they xray you while you eat to see where the food is going (and hopefully not into the lungs.)  Then, Zadie had her palate repair and had to recover from that and finally was cleared last week to get the study.

Today was finally the day.  I pureed up some banana and breastmilk (who wants some?!) in my awesome  Blendtec blender and dug out the sippy cup that she hasn't used in about a month.  We headed off to the hospital without really knowing what to expect.  When we finally got into the room, they sat Zadie in this little chair and strapped her in.  She was so ticked off!  I put on my big lead vest and they set up the xray camera next to her.  It was cute to see her little head moving around on the xray screen.  After they added the barium to the banana puree, I started to feed her.  She was flipping out, probably very hungry and not happy about sitting in that seat at that moment.  But they kept telling me to give her more, so every time she opened her mouth to cry, I'd just stick another spoonful in.  I was trying to watch the screen while feeding her, and I did get to see her swallowing!  Then we tried just the straight breastmilk and she did great with that, too.  It was all very fast-paced and was over pretty quickly.  She passed with flying colors!

With just a week and a day to spare until her birthday, Zadie says, "Bring on the birthday cake!"

Moving right along.

Zadie had her second post-op follow up with her surgeon last week.  He said she looks great and he said go ahead and feed her anything we want!  Wonderful!  The only problem is, the last time she was admitted to the hospital with some pneumonia like symptoms, her pulmonologist became concerned that all of her troubles may stem from aspiration (breathing food or milk into her lungs) rather than an infection.  Most other doctors, including her pediatrician and the surgeon who repaired her palate, doubt that she is actually aspirating.  I kind of doubt it, too, because every time she's been sick, a dose or two of antibiotics have turned her around almost 100%.  But, regardless, I want to be sure that we are checking everything, so we are holding off on any oral feeds until she gets a swallow study.  This was Zadie's last oral meal, delicious avocado!

Zadie is scheduled for the study on Wednesday morning.  That is a week and a day before her birthday so we're really hoping for good results so that she can stuff her face with cake on the 31st!  She's definitely dying to eat again.  When we eat in front of her, she can't take her eyes off our food.  I hope she rocks the study on Wednesday!

Off the topic of Zadie, today a very good friend of our family received a long-awaited heart transplant.  We're really excited for him and his family!

Zadie's weekend away...

Zadie decided she needed another weekend away, so Friday morning, after a week of fighting what seemed to be a cold, she woke up with a fever. Off to the ER we went. She ended up being admitted, although I don't think it's clear what was going on. There are aspiration concerns, so she is on strictly G tube feedings for now, nothing by mouth. It's already not fun, because she's clearly interested in food. When she is recovered, she'll be getting a swallow study. I have asked a few times about a swallow study at her feeding clinic, but they have always said it was unnecessary. I will be mighty upset if it turns out that all her troubles recently have been from aspiration.

 She's still scheduled for her palate surgery next Tuesday, May 1. I was worried this latest illness would affect things, but she's still on, unless she's very congested. So, she'll be back in a hospital (a different one) next week, if all goes well! A nutritionist stopped by Zadie's room on Saturday. She said she looks like she's doing great on breastmilk. I asked her if she had any experience with the blenderized diet. She didn't seem to have too much experience with it, and mentioned how much work it would be. She mentioned that bacteria is a risk of that diet, because food is more likely to be caught in the tube. That seems like just another excuse. She also said that formula is already made to have all of the proper nutrients, etc. It's weird that a nutritionist thinks formula is better than fresh, real food. It seems like, for some reason, most medical professionals are not too enthused. I don't get it!

The nutritionist also said that breastmilk should be enough for Zadie past a year, maybe to 15 or even 18 months! So I had been planning on quitting pumping soon, but I guess it looks like I'll be doing it for a little longer. And I guess that means that I should finally BUY a pump, rather than keep renting the hospital pump. Zadie should be released today. She got her batteries recharged and enjoyed the chest PT from the nice respiratory therapists. She's ready to get out of this crib and back to cruising around the house. And hopefully not coming back here any time soon!