Medical Updates

Here is our list of October doctor appointments, and what happened at each.

6th - Dr. Bartlett - Pediatrician -
Stoma Infection

8th - Dr. Hayes - Physiatrist -
Suggested giving Eli Botox Injections in his Aductor muscles in his inner thighs. May help relax him so that diaper changes are easier, and sitting is easier in the carseat and stroller.

9th - Dr. Debley - Pulmonologist -
He said Eli's issues are in his upper airway and we need to see an ENT (Otolaryngology) doctor. He felt that Eli's acid reflux is causing a lot of his congestion while eating. Added a second dose of Prevacid per day. Suggested to try that for two weeks, and if it's not improving add a new drug called Reglan. (We see some improvement, and are not adding Reglan.)

20th - Dr. Bartlett - Pediatrician -
Eye infection (from Puke episode...see 10/19 post.)

21st - Dr. Inglis - ENT/Otolaryngologist -
He did a scope in his office and said Eli's airway looks good. No anatomical abnormalities. Didn't feel that doing the Bronchoscopy the next day would show him anything different, but offered to do it anyway since we were already in Seattle and scheduled in the OR. It was going to be under anesthesia, and with Eli's airway issues, he was at risk for complications....and since the procedure wasn't really necessary we felt it best to cancel. :)

He said adding Zantac may help his reflux even more.

23rd - Dr. Goldberg - Orthopedist -
He said Eli's hips look good. At this point in time, he is not a candidate for surgery. Yahoo!
Since Eli is non-ambulatory he doesn't even think Botox is necessary. (It's usually for kids who are trying to walk but their gait is so bad they need a little help to make it easier.) If we did it, it would be for personal reasons as I stated above regarding seating and diapering.

In a Nutshell:
Eli's brain injury causes his muscles to fire when they shouldn't, and not fire when they should. His airway is floppy and his muscles don't work right - therefore he can't swallow properly and breathing can be difficult sometimes.

We met lots of nice doctors this month, and found that the Playroom at Seattle Children's Hospital is AMAZING! It is where Eli created the beautiful painting in the previous post! After he painted it, he rammed his hand into the paint jar! LOL! His fingers were purple for a few days, and his fingernails were all dirty. I was so proud of my 3 year old son finally getting dirty!!!!! :)

We felt no one had a lot of hope for Eli and there wasn't anything they could offer to do for him.

His airway is compromised.
His life will be difficult.
We will probably spend many more nights in the hospital in his life.

We pray that God lets us continue to take care of Eli for a loooooong time to come.....
Isn't he precious?!
Here he is eating in his new KidKart Stroller, generously given to us by a family in Olympia.