Test on Tuesday

Landry is scheduled for another barium dye test Tuesday morning. I know it is important for him to have and it will give us valuable information about just how well his intestines are functioning but I am not looking forward to it! For one, he has to fast 3-4 hours before hand. This will be very hard for this chunky monkey because he wants to eat every hour and a half. I am also hoping he doesn't have to go in that tube thing that he had to go in last time. It is a baby torture chamber and we both hated every second of it last time. So, it will be nice when Tuesday morning is over!

Things at home have been just great. Landry is pretty much over his cold and is sleeping great. The past few nights he's slept until three or so and then gets up around 7 or 8. It is very doable. I can't believe just how different he is from Cade - not just in sleep but everything! He is a big boy too - he is already wearing 6 month clothes. Cade has been really sweet with him which is so fun to watch. He loves to tickle his toes and always gives him kisses when he sees him in the morning. Having two really hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be. Of course, there are moments but they are few and far between and can usually be avoided by some serious multi-tasking and planning ahead. =)

For the love!

So Landry has had a cold since we got home from the hospital that has gotten progressively worse. I'm almost 100% sure he got it from Cade because Cade has the same thing. Just a runny nose, not anything too major. Landry has been waking up more at night the past few nights and didn't give us any smiles yesterday. By the evening, he had a fever of 101.4 and a goopy eye. Ear infection! So I took him to Urgent Care this morning and got him on antibiotics. Then I called the surgeon who had put him on the probiotics before and asked if we should do that again as well since the antibiotics might kill off the good bacteria in his intestines. She agreed this was a good idea so that is our plan. I tell ya, this kid! So between the PRObiotics and the ANTIbiotics we should be good! I hope these biotics know what they are doing because this plan seems a little oxymoronish to me. Biotics are confusing!




After seeing the striking resemblance to Landry's shirt and himself, we are foregoing the sumo wrestler idea. He will be a monkey and I've already found the costume!

He's a growin' MANIAC!

I can't keep up with this kid! All he wants to do is eat and eat and eat some more. I LITERALLY can't keep up! After he nurses, he wants a bottle and downs that as well. I fully expect him to be 30 pounds by Halloween, which will make for a great sumo wrestler costume. He is close to outgrowing all his 3 month clothes and I've already had to order the next size up in his diapers. It is all coming out the other end so the doctor says not to worry but MAN! This kid can really eat!

Goin' strong!

Landry is doing great at home so far. He is just such a good baby, I can't even believe it. He is so happy!! I would be too if I was finally out of the hospital and not being poked and prodded every day! We had a follow up appointment with his surgeon on Wednesday. She is setting up an appointment for us to see the pediatric gastroenterologist next time she comes over from Seattle. It won't be for a few months and if Landry is doing well we won't need to see her at all. Landry is schedule for an upper gi barium dye test again at the end of the month. The surgeon wants to see what his intestines look like when he is doing good. Having both at home hasn't been as hectic as I thought it would be and Cade has been a real trooper adjusting to having to share his mommy and daddy. He brings Landry his blankets and paci's when I am nursing him and even brings me my water bottle! Such a helper...of course, don't think he won't take a swipe at Landry's head when he has had enough either! One day he will be in for a big surprise when Landry pops him back!

Home again, home again

Well - we brought Landry home today which is great. He is doing just wonderful - still having a little diarrhea but not enough that it should dehydrate him again. I love our surgeon - she came in today to see Landry on her day off before he went home. It was great to be able to ask her some of my questions but unfortunately, she still doesn't know exactly why this happened. It could have been just a virus. More likely though I think, the vaccines triggered this reaction in him. His immune system isn't as strong as a typical two month old because of his surgeries and hospital stays. The vaccines are typically rougher on these types of kids. He isn't going to get the rotavirus vaccine at all now - the doctor felt that since he wouldn't be going to daycare, his chance of exposure is far less. Plus, it is a newer vaccine and does not work 100% of the time anyway. In two months, his next round of vaccines is scheduled. They might be postponed until he is stronger, or we might space them out so as not to overload his body all at once. At any rate, it is great to have him home and get everything back in order again.

We meet with the surgeon on Wednesday for a follow up appointment. We are so lucky to have such a wonderful doctor in our area. I asked her about Landry seeing a pediatric gastroenterologist. There is one that comes over quarterly from Seattle Children't Hospital. Unfortunately, she was just out so she won't be back for a couple months. However, if this is something that continues, or if we need to make a decision about whether or not to operate again, I would love to meet with this doctor. I am so grateful that Missoula has our surgeon but I wish we had more specialists. Perhaps I will just have to take him to CHOC for an extended OC visit!! Hehe - just kidding....or not... =)

Confused

Well we are still here and probably will be for at least a few more days. Landry is getting better, it is just taking a long time. He is getting less fluid through his IVs and his diarrhea is slowing down. The doctor on call here today told me that now she thinks that Landry doesn't have a bug but rather he is experiencing a reaction similar to kids who have short gut would get. The trigger would be the vaccines that he got on Tuesday and his body just reacted this way. She doesn't think it is a bug because his white blood cell count is still high, he hasn't tested positive for any viruses from stool samples, and we can't pinpoint an exposure to any bugs that we know about. So - if this is the case, my next question for the surgeon is going to be if the swollen part of the intestine is the part that would cause this or if it is just his intestines throughout. If it is the larger section, is the answer surgery to cut it out? Will he not have anymore of these episodes if that is done? If we leave that bit of intestine in, will we keep having these episodes every time his body is exposed to something? I will have to wait until Monday to ask her these questions. I think Tyler is going to stay here tonight. As much as I wish I could stay here to nurse Landry, I think my body is just getting too worn down staying here night after night. A decent night's sleep will be nice, even though I will still need to get up to pump. It goes without saying that I can't wait to get him home again and hopefully once and for all!

Hospital - Take Three!!

Well - We are back in the hospital - same room actually. These days are all blurring together and it feels like we never even left. Crraaazzyy how much sitting in the same room all day messes with your mind! The lack of sleep from sleeping here sure doesn't help either! So the ER yesterday - I asked to have the surgeon called to make sure she agreed with any decisions that were being made. The doctor there seemed to be leaning toward the intestinal issues as the cause and not so much a stomach bug. The surgeon came in as soon as she could to take a look at our little pooper. She told us that the vaccines can sometimes trigger this reaction in kids like Landry and said that if it was his intestinal issues causing the problem that she would probably decide to operate and take out that bigger section that was supposed to be shrinking back down because it was still not functioning as it should.....or she thought, it could just be gastroenteritis (stomach bug). She wanted him admitted and put on iv fluids to hydrate him. She said she would come by and see him later that day. When she came by, she told us that she was not putting him on the surgery schedule just yet. Thank God!!!
After a less than restful night here with Landry, she came by to see him bright and early. She decided that since Landry had only thrown up twice since being admitted and was still having plenty (and In mean PLENTY) of diarrhea, that it was just a stomach bug. If more was being thrown up and less was coming out the other end, she would have thought differently. So that was great news. We will still be here for at least a few more days though since Landry's labs came back showing that he was pretty dehydrated. Today seemed to be a turning point for him. I think he is now having diarrhea less often now but his poor bum sure has taken a beating. Another great thing about today was that we got to have one of our very favorite NICU nurses be Landry's nurse today. I wish that could happen every day! These NICU nurses sure know their stuff and just as importantly, love Landry!