MRI complete

Today Stanton had his MRI.  He was not happy to be at the hospital and panicked a bit on the way in, but once we settled in the waiting area, he calmed down and played.  The staff was great and took his history of vomiting and aspirating all into consideration.  They really did go out of their way to keep Stanton happy and comfortable.  I was able to go into the MRI room and put him on the table while the anesthesiologist put a "space rocket" mask on him.  He was out within 10 seconds, then I had to leave and wait.  The procedure took about 30 minutes and we met a screaming Stanton in the recovery room.  He stopped crying as soon as I picked him up and rocked him - so sweet that even that drugged, he knew his Mama.  We stayed in the recovery area for about an hour and then made the trip back home.  Stanton stayed pretty grouchy until around 4:30 when he finally decided to drink some his formula.  (He hadn't had anything since 2:00 am).  He's been happily playing since then!

We won't have any results until the end of the  week - and that's really when our doctor will receive the results. As soon as I hear something I'll let you know.  Thank you friends for your sweet words of encouragement today!

Ginger

New Ventures Ahead

  I’ll go ahead and admit it …. the past four weeks have been tough!

Stanton continues to be trapped in this cycle of having a few good weeks…then the mysterious rash appears…then the grumpy, un-pleasable Stanton emerges – which inevitably leads to major reflux flares or upper respiratory illness or the combination of both! Currently we have the pleasure of dealing with the combination of terrible reflux and a sinus infection. Yes, joy of all joys!

We have frequented our pediatrician’s office an average of every 3 weeks since November. We love our pediatrician, Dr. Schepens, but I’m sure she would love not seeing us so often. We were there just yesterday for the sinus infection and I expressed my frustration with this pattern we can’t seem to crack. She said all of his symptoms point to allergies. Well, we’ve seen three allergists: one local who laughed us out of his office, one at Ocshner’s who did a ton of blood work all related to food allergies and immunological issues, and one in Cincinnati who did the skin prick testing for food allergies. Dr. Schepens pointed out that no one has tested Stanton for environmental allergies and that we should explore and rule them out, so she has referred us to another local allergist. He has only been in the area for a couple of years and she has heard lots of good things about him. So, on June 1st we will try again to communicate with our fourth allergist, Dr. Niolet.

Our team of therapists at the Children’s Center, in Hattiesburg, also think all of his symptoms point to allergies! So, as of this week, we are now on a strict elimination diet. The therapists took the time to contact all of our local therapist and our team in Cincinnati before recommending the diet. Everyone is on board! Basically, Stanton will just have his formula and medications for 10 days. Then, we will reintroduce one preferred food every 4 days. During this time I have a very detailed chart to fill out daily and submit. I must chart when he drinks, how much he drinks, when he gets medication, when he throws up, if a rash appears, when his behavior changes and when he has blow out diapers. Our team feels this could reveal a sensitivity to a medication or a food and will help rule out why he is continuing to feel bad and vomit so frequently.

We’ve also learned that Stanton’s MRI has been scheduled for next Tuesday, May 24th. Please keep us in your prayers as we aggressively venture down these new paths. It is a lot of information for us to keep up with - but we will do whatever it takes to make our little Stanton feel his best!

"The Lord is good, a Strength and Stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows (recognizes, has knowledge of, and understands) those who take refuge and trust in Him." Nahum 1:7

With thanks and love,

Ginger